The Wolfman - 2010

Movie #168

2.5 Stars

Lawrence Talbot (Del Toro) gets a visit from his brother's fiancee (Blunt) with news that he has been missing.  He returns to his childhood home in search of his brother only to find out that he was brutally murdered.  While trying to find out what happened to him, Talbot attempts to make amends with his father (Hopkins), but he gets bitten and his life takes a tragic turn.

Cast: Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Hugo Weaving, Emily Blunt, Simon Merrells, Gemma Whelan, Cristina Contes, Art Malik, Nicholas Day, Asa Butterfield, Mario Marin-Borquez

Director: Joe Johnston

This film just wasn't bad enough...you know what I mean...it isn't bad enough to say that it's good.  It was just uhhh.  Overall it was disappointing, and I even had low expectations. 

Like: Emily Blunt was the only reason I kept watching it.

Dislike:  I understand that Talbot had lived in America but Del Toro's lack of an accent was very distracting.  You could tell that he had to think about what he was saying before he said it.

Dislike:  The audio stunk!  It was like the music was too loud and the voices were too low.  I was constantly having to turn the volume up and down.

Dislike:  The special effects were seriously lacking.  Instead of trying to woo the audience with things that looked incredible (ok I don't even know what this would be but that's not the point)...the filmmakers went for all things gruesome....like Del Toro holding a big piece of flesh in his mouth.  I just wasn't impressed.  With a $150 million budget you think they could have done a little better. 

Dislike:  I don't think I'm very fond of Anthony Hopkins....and him being Del Toro's father is completely unbelievable.  I mean...if they were just going for a big name why didn't they just choose Harrison Ford. haha

Overall Recommendation:  If you do watch this film...don't make the mistake of watching the unrated version....it's longer.

Budget: $150 million
Gross: $140 million (56% non-US)

********spoiler********

Last Line: (which is pretty cheesy but it may just be the best part of the film)
It is said there is no sin in killing a beast, only in killing a man. But where does one begin and the other end. 

In The Cut - 2003

Movie #139

2.5 stars

Frannie (Meg Ryan) is a New York writing professor entwined in an erotic affair with a police detective (Mark Ruffalo) who's investigating the murder of a young woman in Frannie's neighborhood. But soon Frannie begins to suspect her lover's involvement in the crime.
Cast: Meg Ryan, Mark Ruffalo, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Kevin Bacon, Nick Damici, Sharrieff Pugh
Director: Jane Campion

Tagline: Everything you know about desire is dead wrong

Revised Tagline: If you think this movie looks good then you are dead wrong.

Filming Location: NYC...at least this gave the viewers something interesting to look at.

Wow...what can I even say about this one. It is categorized as a thriller...and yes...the plot shows hints of a thriller but deep down this movie is more like an HBO porn...that just has a tiny bit more of a storyline.

Meg Ryan commenting on the nudity and sex in In the Cut: "You don't go, 'Wow! I get to do a nude scene.' But I love the sex scene in this movie. It was scary, honest and raw. But people could find my body very unattractive. There could be a backlash against it".

scary...check...honest...hmmm....raw...well that scene in the bathroom of the bar sure was raw.

The movie (notice the lack of the word film) could have had potential...well not really now that I think about it. The most interesting character was Pauline, Meg Ryan's sister, that was played by Jennifer Jason Leigh. But other than that the characters were uninteresting. And what was the point of Kevin Bacon? I guess he just wanted to increase his 6 degrees of separation.

Interesting to note: Meg Ryan lost the lead role in Washington Square (1997) to Jennifer Jason Leigh


Nicole Kidman was originally supposed to star in the movie but dropped out because she was going through her divorce with Tom Cruise. She thought it would be to hard....emotionally. What? Are we sure that Tom Cruise isn't the only looney tune.

I can't really think of anything else to say...so I'll borrow some words from BBC's review of this fine "film"

Unfortunately, in a story chiefly concerned with the inner-life of its anti-heroine, the suspense factor is almost as lax as Frannie's knicker elastic. It would matter less if the complexity of her dilemma was more tangible; instead Campion substitutes unsettling visuals for genuine mystery.

While it is bold, ambitious and often striking, In The Cut isn't as incisive as it pretends to be. Wavering between romanticism and gritty reality, it ultimately slips through the crack in a finalé that could leave you feeling cheap and used.

Overall Recommendation: STAY AWAY...FAR FAR AWAY!!!

note: Campion also directed Bright Star...all hopes I had for the movie kinda just went down the train.

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist -2008

Movie #135
2.5 stars

Norah (Kat Dennings) wants to prove to her friend Tris (Alexis Dziena) that she's capable of having a boyfriend. So at a concert, she grabs the first guy she sees, Nick (Michael Cera), and asks him to pretend they're dating -- but it turns out that Nick is Tris's ex. Despite the fact that they started off as a fauxmance, Nick and Norah's relationship turns real as they traipse through Manhattan, sharing their love of music and all things weird.

Cast: Michael Cera, Kat Dennings, Aaron Yoo, Rafi Gavron, Alexis Dziena, Ari Graynor, Cassidy Gard, Joe Giorgio, Jonathan B. Wright, Jay Baruchel, Justin Rice, Christian Rudder, John Cho

Director: Peter Sollett

Filming Locations: Manhattan; Brooklyn, New York

Likes: hmmm....It's really hard to think of one. I guess the only thing that kept me watching was it was to find out if they would ever find her friend. She was really the the only entertaining part of the movie. I also like the gay guys. It just seemed so out of place...which could have been a dislike if you really think about it.

Dislike: The whole story!! Were the kids supposed to be in high school? How did the girl end up so drunk?













Dislike: The ending was already figured out from the title (nick and norah!), meaning these two are going to get together. They could have made it a little more interesting. Everything about this movie was cheesy...yes I realize it is geared towards teenagers but think about it...Coraline had a better story than this movie.

Dislike: Can Michael Cera ever play a different character?

Trivia: Ari Graynor improvised her whole speech at the Port Authority when Kevin Corrigan decided he wouldn't say a word during his scene. (this was one of my favorite scenes)

Overall Recommendation: Avoid at all costs!

Blindness - 2008

Movie #120

2.5 stars

After a plague of blindness overtakes the residents of a city, all sense of order breaks loose in the hospital where the victims are being quarantined. It's up to a woman (Julianne Moore) who's keeping her sight a secret to lead a group safely to the streets.

Cast: Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Alice Braga, Danny Glover, Gael García Bernal, Sandra Oh

Director: Fernando Meirelles

Filming Locations: Canada, Uruguay, Brazil

Tagline: Your vision of the world will change forever.


Why a 2.5? It could have been so much better. The book was totally changed to try to make it a successful movie. The book is not only in Porteguese but it takes place in the 30's...the movie is in English ("If you do it in English you can sell it to the whole world and have a bigger audience") and it takes place in the 60's...or later (so audiences could relate to the characters). So whats my problem? Like I said before, the movie could have been better. If there goal was to appeal to a larger audience then the movie should have been more exciting...people who watch subtitled movies are more open...but that's just my observation. And the thing about the time period....isn't the whole point of the movie to make people feel uncomfortable...to make them think about life. If the movie was based in the 30's then viewers may feel (a) appreciative that they are not blind and (b) grateful of technology. But that's just my thoughts.

Ok...so my major dislike how they went about making the book into a movie. One thing I am not too sure about is the fact that the characters did not have names and you did not know their past. How are we supposed to put ourselves in the characters shoes in order to have an emotional connection to the character when we don't know anything about them? Maybe it is reverse psychology...by not giving the characters any names, the viewers may see themselves in any of the characters.

****SPOILER ALERT*******
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In the final minutes of the movie, the first man who went blind gets his sight back. All of the other characters start to have hope that they will get their sight back too. Julianne Moore goes out onto the balcony and looks up...all she sees is white....is she going blind??!? No....the camera then cuts back to the skyline and she can see all of the buildings. Yes, it may have been effective by the fact that the audience would have had a sinking feeling thinking, "oh no...don't make her blind." (this is a stupid viewer) But why revert back to doing what the audience is comfortable with. First it was making the movie in English then it was not having a depressing ending. In my opinion...the movie would have been more effective...and thought provoking....if Julianne Moore, the only person who had not been affected by the blindess, would have gone blind.

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Julianne Moore lookin tore up















Gael looking crazy and Danny Glover (best actor in the movie)


Overall Recommendation: Watch it while surfing the internet...you won't miss out on anything.

The Contractor - 2007

Movie #117

2.5 Stars

Ace marksman James Dial (Wesley Snipes) comes out of retirement to eliminate a top terrorist he failed to kill years earlier. But when the mission goes awry, Dial realizes he's been framed, goes on the run and gets unexpected help from … a 12-year-old girl (Eliza Bennett). With the British police hot on their trail, the unlikely pair joins forces to prove Dial's innocence in this explosive action thriller from director Josef Rusnak.

Cast: Charles Dance, Lena Headey, Wesley Snipes, Ralph Brown, Eliza Bennett, Velizar Binev, S.J. Evans, Richard Harrington, Sousila Pillay

Director: Josef Rusnak


Filming Location: Bulgaria-- whaaa? It was supposed to take place in London.

Tagline: The world's greatest marksman is now a marked man... (hmmmm---- sounds like Shooter- Rhona Mitra would have been a nice addition to this movie)












Likes: There was no cheesy music. I guess I should have put "like"

Dislikes: The complete lack of storyline. I found myself saying, "Ok...lets get on with it." The twist came halfway through the movie and from there it was as if the film lolly gagged towards an ending.

Overall Recommendation: Avoid this...there is a reason this went straight to DVD

But look at these numbers:

DVD Units Sold: 823,010
Consumer Spending: $15,623,319

I feel sorry for those 823,010 people...and the waste of $15 million!

The Trouble with Romance - 2008

Movie #97

2.5 Stars

Set over the course of one night in a Los Angeles hotel, director Gene Rhee's comic meditation on the complications of romance follows the bungled love lives of four different couples who are just trying to make it work. A woman converses with a hallucination of an old lover, while down the hall, a married couple tries to liven up their sex life with some new tricks.

Cast: Jordan Belfi, John Churchill, Josie Davis, Kip Pardue, Portia Dawson, David Eigenberg, Roger Fan, Valeria Hernandez, Sheetal Sheth, Emily Liu, Mitch Malem, Coby Ryan McLaughin, Judith Montgomery

Director: Gene Rhee



OK- so this movie was pretttty bad. The only reason I watched the movie was because of Sheetal Sheth (see picture below). All the stories were kinda just blahhh. There was one kinda good but still cheesy line. It was from Sheetal Sheth- who plays a call girl named Nicole. ---> "This is not Pretty Woman. This is real life."

Overall Recommendation: If you want some background noise while doing something...this is the movie for you :)