Up Review

Yesterday, I saw Disney and Pixar's latest film, Up. As I came out of the theater, I could not help but think, is there anything Pixar can't do? Can Pixar ever disappoint? The answer, for me, is no. The guys and gals at Pixar are geniuses of animation - storytelling and visual marvels who break new ground with every film that they make. I also though that there traditional animated short shown before the actual film was the best animated short they have created - it's Partly Cloudy, and it was cute, funny and poignant. Entertaining, funny and extraordinarily poignant, the film is indeed the best animated film since Wall-E, another Pixar film. Its creativity and excellent story makes for a fun and visually stunning film with valuable life lessons - certainly Pixar can do no wrong, and here's hoping for more animated gems from them. I give Up Four stars out of Four.

At home, I saw Roman Holiday for the millionth time. It is still a timeless, romantic and heartwarming romantic comedy. I love Gregory Peck's performance - and Audrey Hepburn was so cool and classy. It is one of my favorite romantic comedies, and even though the ending was not what you expect, it was fresh and realistic.

Well, that's all for today, till next time, enjoy!

Rants and Ravings - 6-10-09

This weekend, I saw for the God-knows-how-many-times The Maltese Falcon and It Happened One Night. First up, The Maltese Falcon never gets old. It's still exciting, fresh and darn, does Bogie kick serious booty! The only thing that bothers me about the film is Mary Astor's haircut...it may have been seen as stylish to some, but it is horrid, in my opinion. Thank God that it does not distract much from the film - unlike Tom Hank's hair in The DaVinci Code...LOL. It's great fun and it is suspenseful all the way, even though it is best the first time when you do not know spoilers - because the fill has various plot twists, but at the same time, even if it's your 1,000th time seeing it, it is still very entertaining and one of the great classic Film Noirs. Indeed, it is "the stuff that dreams are made of".

Next up, It Happened One Night. A witty and charming romantic comedy. Man, oh man - was Clark Gable HOT. And man, could he act! He and Claudette Colbert had a very strong chemistry. I admit I was a little upset that they did not kiss in this movie, but at least their feelings are acknowledged. All in all, it is one of the most romantic movies of the 1930s and of all time.

Also, a few days ago, my nieces persuaded me to watch Hotel For Dogs with them. The story acting and dialogue were overly corny for my tastes, but not so much as 2001's Cats and Dogs, and it was much more realistic. Furthermore, it is a typical film for children and animal lovers, and it is a film which they could identify with and I suppose that is why my nieces like it. However, there is really nothing adults would like, with corny performances by charming actors like Don Cheadle and Lisa Kudrow - although I do not blame them, I blame the writing and story. Overall, it was charming for children, lame for adults. One Star and a half stars out of Four.

That's all for today, folks, till next time!

To Catch a Thief/High Society

This weekend, I had a mini Grace Kelly marathon and saw To Catch a Thief once again...it is a rather suspenseful and witty thriller with awesome performances by both Cary Grant and Grace Kelly (The rest of the cast was great, too), and they had a strong chemistry - their love scenes were pitch prefect. I loved how Hitchcock lightened up the story with witty and smart comedy - there were a couple of scenes that made me chuckle (SPOILER: The final scene is one...). Overall, it is a great as I remembered it and it remains a great Hitchcock thriller.

Next up, I saw High Society and this one was for the first time. I liked the nods to The Philadelphia Story, and how some things are more fully explored (IE, The relationship between Connor and Liz, Dexter's and Tracy's honeymoon ext.) - however, I can't help but liking Cary Grant and James Stewart better than Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra, and Grace Kelly - who was awesome in the film - had better chemistry with Cary and Jimmy in To Catch a Thief and Rear Window. That's not to say I do not like Bing and Frank, though. Overall, I did enjoy the film and I though it was very cute. Three stars out of four.

Till next time, fellow movie lovers!

X-Men Origins: Wolverine Review

Well, everyone, I finally I had the opportunity to see X-Men Origins: Wolverine last night, and well, I have got to say, I thought it is not as bad as the critics make it seem. However, there is something curious about the movie that I found very intriguing: some critics say that the movie starts off well and that it falls apart as it progresses, but for me, it is exactly the opposite: the beginning was a bit disjointed and somewhat flat, but as the movie progressed, I got more interested. Everything seemed to be getting more engaging. I must admit - it was nice to see an X-Men movie dominated mostly by the guys - especially hot ones like Hugh Jackman and Taylor Kitsch =D! Speaking of Taylor Kitsch, I loved his performance as Gambit - a character I have been waiting for since the first X-Men film back in 2000. I wish we could have seen more of him, though. But he and Hugh Jackman dominated the film and they brought the fun into what could have been a lifeless film. I was also shocked at the scene where the adamantium is surgically inserted into Wolverine, it was a rather difficult scene to watch - and I thought it wouldn't be since the film was PG-13. Overall, it was an entertaing popcorn flick typical of summer fun at the movie. I give the film Two and a half Stars out of Four.

That's all for today, folks! Till next time!

Taken Review

Hi, everyone!

So I had the opportunity to see the international hit Taken yesterday. I thought it was an entertaining thriller and if you're looking for some tough-guy action, this movie is for you. The camera movements during some of the fist fights annoyed me a little bit, but that's just a minor detail. The story was fast-paced, although it developed smoothly, and I was hoping that the movie would last a little bit more than 91 minutes, but still, it's the running time most films like this have. Although the plot deals with your typical kidnap-and-rescue story, you will somehow feel a certain twist. And I came out with one major confirmation: Liam Neeson kicks major butt - and I love him more than ever. It's a shame that he lost his beloved wife (actress Natasha Richardson) so close to his celebration of his new film's success. While there was nothing really fresh about the father/daughter relationship, it was still a bittersweet story arc. The film was very entertaining and I give it Three and a half stars out of Four stars.

Also, I caught another viewing of The Philadelphia Story. It is my favorite movie with Katharine Hepburn. I enjoy the witty dialogue and heartwarming story. James Stewart won Best Actor for his performance, although I think he deserved it more for It's A Wonderful Life or Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Still, it is a well deserved Oscar. However, I will never understand how Cary Grant did not get a nomination, while Katharine Hepburn and James Stewart did. I think it is one of Oscar's biggest crimes not giving him at least a nomination. He was absolutely engaging and excellent in the film, and it will not be the only time that Cary Grant was not recognized by the Academy the way he deserved, for he did not win the two times he was nominated and there were many performances that were overlooked. Even with no Oscars, he is widely beloved and is considered one of the greatest actors who ever lived - and I fully agree with that.

Till next time!

TCM's Classic Films Union

Hi, everyone!

Just wanted to let you know that Turner Classic Movies has a brand new member service called the Classic Films Union. You can go to it here. It is basically a way to share your favorite actors and films and media with others. You can also post your favorite pictures and videos and share it with others. As you have guessed, I joined, and you can view my profile here.

During this long Memorial Day Weekend, I decided to watch two Alfred Hitchcock films: Suspicion and Spellbound. I had not seen them in a long time and I loved them - thrilling, edge of your seat suspense and only Hitchcock could bring you that. What intrigued me was the dream sequence in Spellbound, which was designed by Salvador Dali - it was beautiful, and really looked like a Three-Dimensional piece of art. It was ahead of its time, and it must have been as stunning as 3D animated films and CGI effects seem today when it was released in 1945. It is still stunning and unique, even today, and the dream sequence is one of the most visually creative scenes in movie history in my opinion. It was truly a terrific touch to a thrilling and creative film. I read somewhere that Hitchcock was not overly impressed with the final film, but I think it stands as one of his most visually stunning. My favorite Hitchcock film is however North by Northwest. I will try to check it out again as soon as I can.

That's all for today, see ya!

Happy Mother's Day/Monsters VS. Aliens review

First off, let me wish all the wonderful mothers out there a very Happy Mother's Day. I love you, Mom =)!

Lastly, I spent the day with my nieces and my sisters yesterday and watched Monsters VS. Aliens with them. It is a creative and amusing film and I think that DreamWorks Animation is starting to make better films (Bee Movie and Shrek The Third were a bit disappointing to me). The animation was visually striking, and since I had the opportunity to see in 3D, it looked even better. Story wise, I though it was charming, creative and interesting - it is the type of story I haven't really seen and it is easily appealing. The voice cast was pretty good, and I particularly loved Hugh Laurie as Dr. Cockroach Ph.D. Overall, it was an entertaining film and fun to watch - so I rate it Three stars out of Four.

By the way, if you want to see how I rate films I have previously seen, you can go here. Films I have rated vary from classic films to recent ones I have seen, such as Monsters VS. Aliens. You may not agree with some of the ratings, so it's only my two cents.

That's all for today, folks! Till next time!