RATING: 9.5/10

So I went into District 9 pepped as hell, ready to see a great sci-fi flick that would be fun, original, and would do some things new that would push the genre forward. I’d read in various places online that this was the best sci-fi movie since “The Matrix”, so needless to say I was excited to see the movie. The result is an amazing, yet somewhat flawed sci-fi movie, which will please most everyone, and might disappoint a person or two.

Let’s start with the positive. Basically, if you are willing to go beyond the usual limits of your suspension of disbelief, and are willing not to think TOO hard, you’ll find “District 9″ to be an un-fucking-believable movie that blows your mind with it’s unique take on the tired “aliens show up on earth and do shit” genre. This is not “Independence Day” and it’s certainly not “The Day the Earth Stood Still.” (on a side note, the recent remake of the film had the potential to be awesome but was ended up being little more than Green Propaganda designed to make you believe that human’s are shit and don’t give a fuck about the earth,
therefore we deserve to be obliterated by aliens in order to for the earth to survive.) Sorry bout that.

Anyway, “District 9′s” true charm comes from its inherent simplicity, and style of story-telling. Rather than focus on a war between the aliens, or “prawns”, the movie takes a more simplistic look by showcasing the political and moral consequences of aliens arriving on earth. The movie shows humans discriminating against the prawns, and shows our desire as a race to obtain their weaponry and technology to use for our own society. Pretty believable shit when you think about it, seeings how we do things like that today.

Basically, let’s get down to it. “District 9″ is an extremely badass movie. It takes advantage of its R rating, (rare feat in hollywood these days), and puts together a memorable and unique movie. The acting is stellar, and the lack of big name stars give this movie more credibility than having Will Smith or Tom Cruise would’ve given it. The visual effects are stunning, and the aliens, prawns, whateverthefuck, look AMAZING and realistic. Not for one second do you question the way they look. Considering this movie was made for a modest $30 million, it makes you wonder where the hell all the money went when they made “Superman Returns”.

So here’s the part where I talk bout the problems. In all seriousness, there’s only one glaring issue in the movie. Ironically, some may actually claim it to be a positive. Throughout this movie, several questions go unanswered. Why are the aliens here? Why were they starving at the beginning? Whats the deal with the ship? And what the hell kind of a name is Witkus? or whatever it was. The creators ask you to let a lot of these things slide, and just enjoy the movie. But it really does require more than the average suspension of disbelief, even for a sci-fi movie with this much credibility. That being said, it didn’t really affect my enjoyment of the movie, but its something to keep in mind.

My only other half-gripe is that this movie ends in such a way that a sequel is beyond obvious. Seriously, they might as well have just put “To be continued” at the end. Anyway, the problem is that it ends just as it gets REALLY sweet. Basically, right as your saying “OH SNAP!” it ends. Had this been a 3 hour movie, it would’ve been the one of the best sci-fi movies of all time, instead of just being one of the best in recent memory.

In the end, “District 9″ is a fantastic movie, that any idiot with two eyes can enjoy. It has everything that makes a great movie, and more. Sure it has its problems, but what movie doesn’t? Hell, even “Titanic” had shitty parts. Anyway, watch this movie. Suspend your disbelief and don’t think TOO much, and you’ll find a fantastic, well thought out sci-fi movie that’ll be remembered for decades to come. Bring on “District 10″!

Cast_
Johnny Depp-Jack Sparrow
Orlando Bloom-Will Turner
Keria Knightley-Elizabeth Swan
Geoferrey Rush-Barbossa
Chow Yung Fat-Sao Feng
Bill Nighy-Davy Jones
Story_
I’m not really sure what this movie is about, so I can’t say. All I know is that a bunch of pirates go to random places, say random things, and have random fights.

The Good_
Obviously, since I gave this a 3, there isn’t a whole lot of good things about this movie. However, there are some. As with the first two movies, Johnny Depp steals the show as Jack Sparrow. He is funnier in this movie than in the previous films as well. Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley do well in their respective parts as usual. Also, the movie has some decent and good looking action sequences. The special effects are also done well, as usual.

The Bad_
Where do I start? The movie has no easily recognizable plot. Honestly, for a good 95% of the movie I had no clue what was going on. It seemed like the movie was a bunch of random fights and random discussions spread over a near three hour movie.Thats another problem, while in the second movie it didn’t bother me, the length of this movie is insane. For a movie with no plot, they sure found a lot of things to fill a three hours. In addition to it being too long, the movie also had several extensive boring scenes of characters talking about random things. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the movie has several scenes involving Sparrow that are just plain odd. I won’t go into them because of spoilers. The music in the “Pirates” franchise has never been wonderful, but in this movie I could hardly tell that there was music. And when I did hear it, the music was bland. My final gripe, is that the ending of the movie leaves room for yet another Pirates movie.

Overall_
This is a very disappointing conclusion to this trilogy and it’s worth viewing only if you are a die hard Pirates of the Caribbean fan.

Main Cast
George Clooney_Danny Ocean
Brad Pitt_Rusty Ryan
Matt Damon_Linus Caldwell
Andy Garcia_Terry Benidict
Al Pacino_Willy Bank

Story
The Ocean’s crew plans and executes another heist.

The Good
As with the first two films, Ocean’s 13 is an enjoyable movie that almost anyone can enjoy. As usual the cast works well with eachother in pulling off the heist. Scenes where Clooney and Pitt interact are some of the best in the movie. The same can be said of scenes where the full cast is together. You can tell these actors Really enjoy working with eachother and have a lot of fun doing it.When Andy Garcia begins to help the Ocean’s crew it creates several funny moments and he fits in with them pretty well. Al Pacino goes over the top with his performance as Willy Bank, but does it decently. I think I personally would’ve rather seen him be part of the Ocean crew rather than a villain. Another thing great in the movie is: The Humor. This is not a comedy by any means, but there are humorous moments that defenitly will get laughs. Also, the return to the Las Vegas setting is a good thing, that helps bring back the feel of the first movie. In all, considering this is the third addition, it had many great elements that made it feel fresh and new.

The Bad
While the movie was very good it had it’s problems. The main problem is the heist itself. I won’t try to explain what they did because i’d probably give myself and you a headache. But I will say that its a bit out there, even for a movie. Also, Ellen Barkin’s character, Abigal, who is Pacino’s assitant in the movie, feels like an unecessary addition to the movie. The only other complaint that I have is the fact that Ocean’s “crew” are hardly in any scenes together; they are often off doing their own thing.

All in all, despite it’s problems, if you are a fan of Ocean’s 11 or 12 you will surley like this movie and if you’re a fan of heist movies you’ll like it as well.

Overview
This 1982 film is one that probably few people have seen. Al Pacino made this movie right before Scarface, so that adds to it being lost among his films. This movie in my mind is great because of how real it is. It shows real characters dealing with real world problems like: raising kids, love, and making you career be as successful as it can be. To add to that, there is a lot of subtle humor,mainly thanks to Pacino, that helps the movie flow. This is a very good family oriented movie that I think families could sit together and enjoy watching it. The movie really isn’t about Ivan being a playwrite, it’s about family and the importance of it. That alone should make this movie worth watching.

To sum it up, if you are a fan of Al Pacino or family themed movies, Author! Author! is required viewing.

Starring_
Tobey Maguire_Spiderman/Peter Parker
Kirsten Dunst_Mary Jane Watson
James Franco_Harry Osborn/New Goblin
Topher Grace_Eddie Brock/Venom
Thomas Hayden Church_Flint Marko/Sandman

Directed By_Sam Raimi

Story
Peter Parker a.k.a Spiderman must battle Sandman, New Goblin, Venom and himself in this third installment to the Spiderman franchise.

The Good

The newest Spiderman film is obviously the most hyped in the series yet. In most areas, the film lives up to it’s hype. The plot is the darkest and most intriguing in the series thus far. It shows Spiderman not only battling villains, but also himself. If you ever wanted to see Peter Parker go bad/emo then you’ll be glad to know in this movie he does both! Considering the amount of villains they are each portrayed quite well and also fit into the plot without their presence seeming forced. All the characters that made the last two movies great also add to this one. Mary Jane, Aunt May, Jameson, and that Russian neighbor guy are all there and are a great supporting cast.

Next, the casting in this movie was very well done. Topher Grace has obviously come a long way since THAT 70′s SHOW, and is great as Eddie Brock and eventually Venom. He is very believable and is a good rival for Peter. Thomas Hayden Church did a good job at playing Flint Marko/Sandman. He shows both the sensitive and brutal sides of the character quite effectively. You’d think that you couldn’t do much with a guy made of sand but he proves that is not true. Another newcomer, Bryce Dallas Howard does well with what she can with the character of Gwen Stacy. She is believable in the role and fits it well. As always the rest of the cast does well with their respective parts. I must say however, James Franco truly stands out in this movie as doing his part the best that it can possibly be played. He shows great acting talent playing both New Goblin and Harry Osborn.

Lastly, the action sequences in this movie are fantastic. From the opening fight between Spiderman and Goblin to the epic finale, all the action sequences are pulled off beautifully. Also, the special effects in this movie are magnificent (And they should be considering the $259 million dollar budget!) Spiderman looks more real than ever before. The new villain Sandman also looks amazingly realistic. As for Venom, he is terrifyingly real looking and will scare the crap out of little kids. The music, while not done by Danny Elfman, is still good and moving.

The Bad
In the film there was not much that was bad. I must say I’ve never been a Mary Jane fan and this movie confirmed why. Shes annoying and stupid. I honestly don’t think she brings anything to the series at all. I must say I don’t know what Peter sees in her. Other than that there is the Venom issue. I really wanted to see more Venom than I did. I know I stated that the 4 villains worked well being in one movie but I must admit if one had to leave I would defiantly chose Sandman. He didn’t really bring much to the movie besides cool special effects.

Overall, if you’ve seen any of the other Spiderman movies or you just like superhero movies in general, this is required viewing.