Let me start with saying I am a big fan of Tarantino’s work. A number of his movies have reached the cult classic status, and I have no doubt this will be one of them. The movie is long a 2 hours 33 minutes, but when you are watching the film it doesn’t feel like it. Made in the style of a “spaghetti western” the story does a good job of bringing the humor along with the action. Tarantino did a fantastic job of laying out background on all the important characters, and even fit in a 70′s style intro for one character… Only Tarantino could pull this off in a Nazi movie. The movie does get a bit confusing in the middle with the multiple stories that are playing out. Brad Pitt does as 1st Lieutenant Aldo Raine. He pulls off that strong American cadence you find in a number of classic war movie set in the WWII era. And he is funny as hell! Christopher Waltz is outstanding as Hans Landa aka “The Jew Hunter”.

Even though the story gets jumbled in the middle it manages to untangle in the end and be an enjoyable film. It is long, but does not feel like it at all. There are some great performances by the cast, and with Tarantino writing and directing it’s always interesting. Enjoy the film! I did!

Let me start out with saying that the movie was better than I expected. The reason I say that is the trailer. The trailer for the movie came out, and sure it looked high action, but it look to spacey for the G.I. Joe I grew up with in the 80′s. Super Accelerator suites WTF!!! But still I wanted to see them film… I probably acted it out 100 times with my G.I. Joe action figures.

The story is solid. They do a good job of giving background on most of the characters with flashbacks without making the flashbacks seem out of place or un-needed. The acting was as good as I expected from the cast of this movie. It had a good bit of humor, and a lot of action. The super suites played a very small part, maybe 10 minutes, and that made me happy. In the end it was what I expected from a G.I. Joe flick. A lot of guns, a lot of explosions, and some great over-the-top action scenes. My biggest complaint is the CGI. If you are going to make a big budget flick spend the money on CGI… Get the guys that did Transformers, ILM, or someone who knows what they hell they are doing! I could have downloaded a copy of Adobe© AfterEffects and done the same crap in an hour!

If you like an easy story with a lot of action check the movie out. I think you will enjoy it.

Lakeview Terrace is a thriller directed by Neil LaBute, produced by Will Smith, and starring Samuel L. Jackson, Patrick Wilson and Kerry Washington. Jackson plays a twenty-eight year veteran of the LAPD who terrorizes his new next-door neighbors because they are an interracial married couple.

The writer and director do a great job of laying the ground work of the characters early on in the movie. Within the first 5 minutes of the movie you really understand Jackson’s character and can already see his control freak nature. I really love the story and the concept of the movie. It starts very strong, but by the end it starts to feel forced, overdone, and down right comical. Jackson delivers a great performance. He plays one of the best crazies in Hollywood.

If you are a fan of suspense movie I recommend giving it a rent, but I don’t think is a movie you will come back to watch often.

Henry, played by Eric Bana suffers from a very rare genetic disease that enables him to time travel.  However, Henry cannot control this ability.  However,despite the fact that he vanishes at inordinately frequent and lengthy intervals, he attempts to build a stable future with the beautiful young heiress he loves. Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams star in this dramatic fantasy, which is directed by Robert Schwentke and based on the best-selling book by author Audrey Niffenegger.

Clare has been in love with Henry her entire life. She believes they are destined to be together, even though she never knows when they will be separated: Henry is a time traveler–cursed with a rare genetic anomaly that causes him to live his life on a shifting timeline, skipping back and forth through his lifespan with no control. Despite the fact that Henry’s travels force them apart with no warning, Clare desperately tries to build a life with her one true love.

The movie was put together very well.  If you would have asked me if it was within the first thirty minutes however, I would have answered no.  This is definitely the type of film that takes a while to get rolling.  The crew of the film however does a good job in not making the movie drag out too much.  The film also seemed to touch on every aspect that I thought of.

There were a few downsides.  I felt as if the movie was very predictable.  I sort of came up with a general idea of what was going to happen, and I was exactly right.  However, since the movie is about Time Travel, one does get a chance to look a bit further in Henry’s life.

Eric Bana does a phenomenal job in this film.  Easily my favorite since Black Hawk Down.  He offers a stunning and true performance that really captures one’s thoughts and  feelings.  I was with two women when I saw this, and of course, they both cried.  It was a touching film though.

Rachel McAdams also does a stupendous job.  She is also very very good looking.  She offers the women a look into the life of a woman that has to depend on herself when she still  has a loving husband.  Much like the life of say…a man that travels when he works.  A man that can be called away from home for long periods of time on short notice.  I am sure that this hits home for most women.

This movie is worth seeing fellas, if you have a date.  Don’t go see this by yourself…please.

The movie deserves a 4 out of 5 for what it was going for.  It was done very, very well.

Watch the trailer here

Madden is easily the most anticipated game of every year. It is kinda like the unofficial sign that football season has begun! And since EA holds exclusive rights to the NFLPA and NFL there is nothing else you can buy or compare it too. Saying that I will say that I was a Madden fan even before the contract when ESPN still had an NFL game. A lot of the changes to this years Madden have been focused on realism. They really want to create the full football SIM. EA has really worked to make it feel Like you are watching a game, and are a part of it.

Let’s start with the new items and break down what I think of each of them.

Pro-TAK – New animation technology that allows up to nine players to be involved in tackles, ability to steer tackles and a more realistic pocket around the QB. This gives the game a much more realistic feel. In the old Madden games some of the animations for tackles looked just plain ridiculous. This looks like you are watching a real NFL game.

Fight for the Fumble – A fumble pile-up that triggers when a fumble occurs near two players. To gain possession, the user must press a series of buttons that appear on the screen. I really like this improvement… Haven’t got the hang of it yet, but that could have something to do with the cast on my hand. It’s a simple concept… There is a fumble a pile commences on the ball and you rapidly tap buttons to fight in the pile. Again, this is a very real element to NFL football and has made the game that much more realistic.

New Ratings System – Ratings have been re-scaled for a more noticeable difference between players. And new ratings such as Throw accuracy deep, medium, and short and more. If you are a big stickler for stats this is a big deal. This is going to be a continuing statement… It adds to the realism. Tom Brady throws a hell-of-a long ball, but you don’t expect the 3rd string backup to be able to do the same thing. This adjusts for that.

Sim Style Gameplay – Game speed has been reduced for a more realistic experience. I really like this part. Again…Adds to to the realism that you are watching a football game on TV.

Player Momentum – More realistic acceleration, deceleration, planting & turn rates. Insanely realistic! You can’t change directions in a full sprint easily…Why should your football SIM be able to do that?

Quarterback Improvements – Layered blending, new QB ratings and more realistic QB drop animations. Just aesthetics… Adds to the players features.

WR/DB Interaction – Improved route running and coverage. Change made to make the game feel more realistic…And it does it’s job.

Procedural Awareness- System which allows each player to realistically follow the ball using head, eyes, neck and shoulders.

Depth of Field – All new system which will not only improve the visual quality of the game but will allow a more realistic broadcast experience.

New Injury System – Injury status/severity is delayed instead of immediate for more suspense and realism, all new animations with trainers and injury carts are shown, players playing injured have their ratings affected negatively and are at chance of re-injuring themselves. I really liked this… A similar feature is found in the NCAA games the last few years. You can put guys back in the game even if they are hurt.

The Extra Point – A weekly wrap-up show with Fran Charles and Alex Flanagan in franchise mode.

Halftime/Postgame Show – Recaps stats and highlights with Alex Flanagan. Very cool. Adds that watching TV feeling.

Super Bowl Presentation – United States Air Force Thunderbirds and National Anthem, along with patches for jerseys and team specific endzone, sidelines and midfield logos. This is a great thing! One of my big complaints has always been that Super Bowl is under-played in this game. You fight through a pre-season, season, and playoffs only to get to the Super Bowl and it’s just another game! Not anymore! They made it a big deal!

Cutscenes – Multiple pre/post play cutscenes along with camera angles such as coaches on the sidelines and quarterbacks talking on the phone.

Announcers – Tom Hammond provides play-by-play, while Cris Collinsworth, who replaces John Madden on NBC’s coverage of Sunday Night Football, is on color commentary. Chris Collinsworth has always been a favorite of mine.

Online Franchise – Up to 32 players, real NFL scheduling, live drafts, and league message boards. Accessible through console, web browser or iPhone. This is VERY cool. You can get together a group of friends and start a league online. There is a commissioner that sets schedules and controls the whole league. Very cool new feature.

Online Co-op – Ability to control one player on a team while a friend controls another. This is a great new feature, but carries my biggest complaint. Being able to play online with two people on the same XBOX is great, but the camera angle SUCKS! It locks you into this 3rd person view that you get on superstar mode, and makes it difficult to play with two people. EA really needs to update this and make it to where you can have the regular camer angle.

Superstar Mode – has been streamlined.

Improved Franchise Mode – Improved progression and regression, off-season signing logic, draft logic (players will be picked on needs of the team) and pre-created draft classes and more. Includes the new “Extra Point”.

New Creation Features – New accessories such as QB towels, additional facemasks, handwarmers, new realistic gloves, arm bands and more.

Addition of the Wildcat offense – Players can now run the wildcat offense. I am not a big fan of the wildcat offense, but my favorite team isn’t built that way. I did run some of the plays in the playbook, and they surely can throw someone off! Ask the guy I ran a 15yrd touchdown on while playing online!

Signature QB throwing-style animations – Signature throwing styles for some quarterbacks.

Signature Kicking Styles – Different kicking styles.

Uniforms – Ability to mix-n-match uniforms with a 3D preview of the uniform while editing. Allowing players to customize team jerseys.

Accelerated Clock – Allows players to run down the clock when they are ahead.

I give the new Madden a 8.5. I would give it a higher rating if the online co-op was better… That was a big new feature and in my opinion EA got that one wrong. The game is great and it amazes me that every year they make the game that much more realisitic. If you wanna have a go leave a comment and I will share my Xbox Live ID.

For their honeymoon, newlyweds Cliffv(Zahn) and Cydney (Mila Jovovich) head to the tropical islands of Hawaii. While journeying through the paradisaical countryside the couple encounters Kale and Cleo, two disgruntled hitchhikers and Nick(Olyphant) and Gina(Kiele Sanchez), two wild but well-meaning spirits who help guide them through the lush jungles. The picturesque waterfalls and scenic mountainsides quickly give way to terror when Cliff and Cydney learn of a grisly murder that occurred nearby and realize that they’re being followed by chance acquaintances that suspiciously fit the description of the killers.

The film was very cliche for the first 80 minutes with the suspenseful music and random things popping up around the jungle.  However, instead of putting the climax about halfway through the movie, it does not come up until there is about 25 minutes left in the film.  Once that happens however, a lot happens.

I do not want to spoil the film, as it is interesting what Twohy does with it, however I will tell you that some of the things that happen in order for the story to play out are a little farfetched.

Overall, the acting was average at best.  Zahn is not known as a person that can carry a movie from beginning to end, and he has to do that in this case.  He does an okay job, but for the film he plays his part.  I have never been a fan of Timothy Olyphant, as his cadence and tone always throw me off.  And Jovovich reminds me a lot of that scene during X-Men when the character Jane goes crazy and catches on fire.  Jovovich is not a very good actress in my opinion, but as stated earlier, she serves her role in the film.

I would advise one to go see this film, but only if you go in the afternoon for the matinee price.

His gay brother (Andy Samberg) trys hooking him up with some guys from the gym, and Paul even gives the internet a try in the search of a Bromance. At an open house however, Paul meets up with Sydney Fife (Jason Segel, How I met Your Mother, Forgetting Sarah Marshall). The two instantly hit it off and take part in some pretty funny dialogue.

Honestly, in the beginning of the movie, Rudd’s nervousness is hysterical. The two then go on a man date and Peter gets somewhat belligerent, but things go great.

While trying to sell Lou Ferrigno’s house Paul Rudd gets in a bind. He begins to feel that he is not good enough to sell such a large piece of real estate. The two become closer…really close judging by the dialogue, and Sydney asks Paul to borrow some money. Sydney uses the money to fund some billboards that tend to go against Peter’s way of doing things. Because of this the two split up.

However, when Paul gets back to work at trying to sell the house he discovers that Sydney’s ads actually worked and the house finally sold. After learning this, Paul still does not re-invite him to the wedding. However, when Zooey (Jones) discovers that Peter misses Sydney, she calls and invites him on the day of the wedding. Sydney was on his way already though. Just as Zooey and Peter are about to say their ‘I Do’s', Sydney rushes in and the two express their bromance to the congregation.

Overall, I found the movie very funny. The way that Rudd and Segel play off one another is really clever and entertaining. It almost seems that the witty parts in the film are mostly improv. And I could not be happier with that. I also feel that some of the lines delivered by Rudd could not be delivered in that fashion by anyone else. In comedies I tend to look for funny lines to use in conversation. This movie really does not have ‘lines’ to quote, but the phrases are endless. I can seriously see my best friend and I having these same conversations.

This is a great film and without a doubt worth the time spent watching it. Besides, Rashida Jones looks awesome in this movie. Like most comedies in this generation, it has a happy ending as well. I felt good after watching this movie. I give it a hefty 4.5 rating for the comedy genre.

You can watch the trailer here

After a bike wreck Lopez finds him self wandering the city only to get drawn to the melodic sound of a violinist playing in a park. The violinist turns out to be a homeless man that introduces himself as Ayers. Lopez spends some talking to Ayers where Ayers reveals to him that he once was a Julliard prodigy. Intrigued by his story Lopez begins to investigate this by calling the Julliard school only to confirm his story is true. Lopez begins to locate Ayers family to get the rest of the story. As it turns out Ayers was a promising cellist, but dropped out of Julliard after two years when his schizophrenic mind robbed him of his life. Lopez begins writing columns telling the story of this gifted homeless man. In the mean time he becomes friends with Ayers trying to help him correct his once promising life. It seems that for every little big of progress they make the disease sets them back a bigger step.

I am a musician and have always believed in the power of music. I am a firm believer that it is the key to life. Music is very powerful to the mind… A song can take you back in time, cause you to cry, relax, or forget everything. This movie reinforces everyone of those beliefs. Ayers is probably one of the most gifted and talented musicians no one has ever heard of. Music just flows through every inch of his body and you can feel that in Foxx’s performance.

This movie also bring to attention the homeless problem in LA. I had no idea of how bad it really was until you see footage from this movie. A lot of the homeless people in this movie are just that, real homeless people with real problems. It will make you be thankful for what you have, and will give you the feeling of what kind I do to change this?

The Blu-ray is presented in 1080p, 2.39:1-framed transfer. The movie has some AMAZING clarity throughout. The detail you get is very sharp and makes that movie that much more powerful. The audio is presented in a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 soundtrack. The sound is clear and very detailed. Which is perfect for a movie were music is the star. There is one scene where Ayers and Lopez are listening to the LA Philharmonic practice at the Walt Disney Concert Hall and listening to…that I was there… That is the quality of detail it had.

If you are a music fan, non-fiction fan, or just love a great drama I highly recommend this movie. It has a very powerful message and has some great performances. Just be prepared with the tissues.

You can pick up the Blu-ray here
You can watch the trailer here

The struggle within in the team begins when Sgt. James takes complete control and more or less disowns his teammates expertise.  His teammate Sgt. Sanborn, played by Anthony Mackie, tends to go strictly by the book and does not take kindly to James’ actions and the plot begins to thicken due to this.  Also in the mix is the third part of them team, Specialist Owen.  His way of thinking tends to remind one of a very self conscious person.  Throughout the film Owen is afraid that his actions are going to get a civilian or one of his partners killed.

With all of these individuals struggling with their own problems, trying to identify the civilians from enemies, and looking at every piece of rubble as a bomb…the film is very intriguing.

I say that the movie is a must see, and give it 4 out of 5 stars.  It is the best Indie film that I have seen in a long time.

The film is nominated for several independent awards and has won several as well.  Renner is also up for best Male Lead at the Idependent Spirit Awards.

TRAILER:  http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi2528117273/

The movie is set during the great depression at the height of syndicated crime in the United States. A little know and young agency The Federal Bureau of Investigation has set out to crush crime in the United States, and has made catching John Dillenger priority #1. A young J. Edgar Hoover has assigned his top crime agent  Melvi Purvis to the task. Purvis gained a lot of fame when he killed Pretty Boy Floyd. Purvis heads up the bureau’s Chicago office as the main base for these operations. At the time Chicago was very friendly to the crime syndicates.

The movie does a great job of capturing the arrogance and life of Dillinger. From all the history accounts I have read this is a fairly accurate portrayal of events. Depp, as always, is amazing in his role and Bale is very believable as Agent Pervis. I truly enjoyed the film, and really enjoyed the cinematography of the action sequences. I found out the show the action scenes with HD hand cameras, and it gives a great realistic feel to it. A lot of the movie was shot in historically accurate locations, and they did a good job making them look identical to there 1930′s look. The movie had starts with a pulse pounding jail break and just builds to its climax from there. The story is well written and fills in perfectly between action scenes.

If you are a Depp fan, a history fan, or just a fan of the cinema you need to see this flick. It was really enjoyable I can’t wait for the blu-ray so I can watch it again.