Faster

Directed By: George Tillman Jr.
Written By: Tony Gayton and Joe Gayton
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Billy Bob Thornton, Carla Gugino and Oliver Jackson-Cohen
Rated: R

MY RATING: C+

Vengeance was good but could've been kicked up a notch.

Faster follows an ex-con (Dwayne Johnson) who's newly released from prison and on a mission to avenge his brother's murder.  He receives a list of all of the people responsible and he plans to take them out one by one.  After finding and killing the first person on his list he leaves a trail for police to follow.  At the same time a crazy hit man (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) is out to kill him.  So who will be "faster" and reach their goal first? 

I loved seeing Dwayne Johnson in a R rated film and he's good as a bad ass!  In this film it was more about his body language and the intensity in his eyes because he barely had any lines.  Throughout the
majority of the film he was alone in his car and when he did come across other people he didn't have much to say.  Job well done as a menacing figure.  The story that was given to his character was very interesting.  I thought it was nicely developed but I needed more from his dramatic scene when we finally learned how his brother was killed.  For me his reaction wasn't big enough for the moment but it also didn't ruin the film either.  This leads me to my only other issue - for what Dwayne Johnson's character had been through I felt like his victims got off too easily.  I wanted more!  Nevertheless I was entertained and into the whole story.  Billy Bob Thornton brought a nice element to the table as the washed up detective hoping to redeem his reputation before retirement.  I'm not sure the hit man character (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) was necessary for the development of the story but he added suspense so why not.  Faster had plenty of action, lots of blood and even a little twist which all made for a pretty good action movie.  Overall I was pretty pleased but there was nothing super impressive either ... besides Dwayne Johnson of course. 

So I'd say see it but there's no rush. 

Devil

Directed By: John Erick Dowdle
Written By: Brian Nelson (screenplay) and M. Night Shyamalan (story)
Starring: Chris Messina, Logan Marshall-Green, Jenny O'Hara, Bokeem Woodbine and Jacob Vargas
Rated: PG-13

MY RATING: C

Pretty good as a thriller but definitely not a horror.

Devil begins with Detective Bowden (Chris Messina) arriving on the scene to investigate the death of someone who allegedly jumped
from a high rise building.  Inside the building five strangers get onto an elevator which breaks down in between floors.  Tempers rise leading to strange events and even murders.  A security guard (Jacon Vargas) watching it all unfold on camera tells the story his mother told him about the Devil whom he believes is inside the elevator disguised as a passenger.  Now it is up to Detective Bowden to figure out who the murderer is before they all lose their lives.  The question then becomes, is the Devil real and if so how do you defeat him?

This one is pretty tricky because I liked it but had some minor issues.  Number one I was disappointed that it wasn't scary at all.  I wouldn't classify it as a horror movie.  The Devil is mentioned and in question but it's more like a murder mystery/thriller.  I'll even say it was suspenseful.  I jumped a couple of times, but it was missing some things.  I just felt like the story could've been developed more.  There was one flashback sequence involving one of the five elevator passengers but I would've preferred to have learned about more of them.  The story just felt rushed.  I mean it was only an hour and twenty minutes long!  They definitely could've added more.  But I liked the premise and it actually will make you take a look at your own life. 
At the end it was just okay.  Pretty entertaining but also a little disappointing. 

I'd say this is worth checking out but there's definitely no rush.

Insidious

Directed By: James Wan
Written By: Leigh Whannell
Starring: Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Lin Shayne, Barbara Hershey & Ty Simpkins
Rated: PG-13

MY RATING: C-

This is the story of a family of five who move into a new house where mysterious things start happening.  Wife and mom Renai (Rose Byrne) starts to hear strange noises and notice things being moved around in the house.  But the strangest event happens to the family's son Dalton (Ty Simpkins) when he falls into a coma that no doctors can explain or understand.  After this horrible event the family's luck gets worse.  Renai (Byrne) sees people in their house and her husband Josh (Patrick Wilson) starts to stray from their home and all of the turmoil inside it.  They decide to seek help and uncover more than they ever bargained for.  Secrets are unlocked along with the key to saving their son.

Now this film had a strong start for me.  I was definitely in suspense when the mom (Byrne) would hear strange sounds and go to investigate dark, quiet rooms.  I was intrigued by what happened to the oldest child Dalton (Simpkins) and drawn into the dad's (Wilson) internal conflict.  Sometimes what you don't see is truly scarier than what is actually there.  Once we get to the second half of the movie and the plot is revealed more that's when the film started going downhill for me.  It turned into a poor, poor knockoff of Poltergeist.  The old paranormal expert Elise Reiner (Lin Shaye) who comes to save the family was disappointing and just weird.  I did not enjoy her character at all.  But the most disappointing things for me were the ghosts.  When I see a movie like this I want to be scared or at least haunted and I felt nothing.  I actually found all of the spirits to be silly and ridiculous and the script really fell apart for me at the end.  The father (Wilson) travels to an alternate realm called The Further to rescue his son Dalton (Simpkins).  Elise (Shaye) paints a picture of The Further as a place to be feared but I found it to just be strange and disappointing.  There was too much build-up and a lot of let down.  This part of the film didn't even hold my interest all the way through.  I figured out the resolution so I was just anticipating the end already.  Also there's supposed to be this big surprise element that you'll never guess and leave the film talking about ... I was talking about it all right, talking about how silly it was. 

The only reason this film wasn't all bad for me is because of the first half of it, that was really good but the rest was not scary at all. 

So I'd say you can check this out on t.v. around Halloween time if it's in the middle of some kind of marathon.

Super 8

Directed By: J.J. Abrams
Written By: J.J. Abrams
Starring: Kyle Chandler, Ron Eldard, Elle Fanning, Joel Courtney and Riley Griffiths
Rated: PG-13

MY RATING: A-

It was refreshing to see an original, creative story.

Super 8 follows a group of kids who are using their summer vacation to make a zombie movie to enter into a film festival.  Each child has their role behind the super 8 movie camera and in front of it.  While shooting a scene for their film they witness a train crash and start to question what's going on in their town.  Soon after, strange things start happening and it becomes clear that they are dealing with something out of this world. 

This film has a lot, suspense, drama, comedy, action and even a little romance.  It does not disappoint.  I could not believe that for the majority of the child actors this was their first film.  These kids were great!  J.J. Abrams was able to pull such natural, authentic performances out of them.  He also did a great job creating childhood nostalgia.  You find yourself back at a youthful time and can't help but to feel what these kids feel.  J.J. Abrams is brilliant! 
I was a little disappointed by the alien but just a tiny bit.  It was pretty good but not vicious enough for me.  Then again how scary can it be in a PG-13 movie?
Super 8 is like a cross between "The Goonies," "E.T." and "Signs."  The beginning is "The Goonies," the middle is "Signs" and the end is "E.T."
So if you're looking for a great alien film that will make you laugh, hold your breath, gasp, jump out of your seat and even cry then this is the movie to see. 

(Note to Parents: This film is not for children under 13, there is a lot of profanity.) 

I definitely say see it, see it!

Black Swan

Directed By: Darren Aronofsky
Written By: Mark Heyman and Andres Heinz
Starring: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel, Barbara Hershey and Winona Ryder
Rated: R

MY RATING: A 
 
Dark, twisted, sensual, melodic.
 
Natalie Portman plays Nina Sayers, a ballet dancer in a New York City ballet company.  Ballet is her life and her smothering mother (Barbara Hershey) intends to keep it that way.  Nina's life begins to change when the director Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel) considers her for the lead in the next production of "Swan Lake."  As she prepares for the role she becomes more and more obsessed and slides deeper into the dark side. 

Black Swan, in one word ... wow!  In two words, wow and memsmerizing.
How can you sum up a film like this?
It was so original, artistic, dark, romantic, dramatic, sensual, sexual, chaotic, psychotic ... and I loved every moment of it!
Natalie Portman sure tackled this role!  She showed her sweet, vulnerable side but underneath was a dark, demented side that she balanced so beautifully.  What a surprise role for her!
The entire cast was great though.  I enjoyed seeing more unfamiliar faces.  I was able to focus more on the story and less on the actors.  But in case you forgot, Barbara Hershey reminded us that she is an excellent actress.

This was well written and the musical score was just beautiful.
If you're a fan of classical music then you will enjoy being taken away by the composition of this film.
This film takes you on an artistic journey.  I'm so excited by the creativity!  Its not the same ole, same ole story being told again as a remake or a sequel.  This is fresh and new and chilling!
It makes you take a look at humanity and all of our flaws. 
Darren Aronofsky also did an amazing job of keeping us wrapped up in Nina's (Portman) perspective.  When she was losing her mind and sight of reality we couldn't tell fact from fiction either.  I loved it!  Favorite movie of 2010!

I say see it, see it!

The Town

Directed By: Ben Affleck
Written By: Peter Craig and Ben Affleck
Starring: Ben Affleck, Jeremy Renner, Jon Hamm and Rebecca Hall
Rated: R
 
MY RATING: B+
 
A nice twist on heist movies.
 
In The Town, the Boston neighborhood of Charlestown there is infamy surrounding generations of robbers.  Longtime friends Doug MacRay (Ben Affleck) and James Coughlin (Jeremy Renner) are falling right in line.  During a bank robbery some missteps occur and they're forced to take the bank manager, Claire (Rebecca Hall) hostage but only for a short period of time.  After Claire's release Doug (Affleck) volunteers to keep an eye on her ensuring that she doesn't deliver any incriminating information.  But Doug soon finds himself entangled in secrets and lies that could destroy the relationships that mean the most to him.

This movie started off action packed and pretty much did not let up much.  Very nice script!  There's also a love story that adds a twist to the plot.  Between the robberies and the story you're in suspense throughout most of the film.
The cinematography keeps it very gritty and raw.  The colors stay muted in gray, blue and black showing there's no life left in their town.  And the cast was a perfect compliment with a mix of heavy hitters like Jon Hamm (Mad Men) and Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker) with some fresh new faces like Rebecca Hall.  I loved Ben Affleck in his role as well.  He carried this film nicely. 
Though the plot was fairly predictable its still an intense joy ride that pits bank robbers against the FBI with a brotherly bond also at stake.  Great job for Writer/Director Ben Affleck!

I say see this film, it's definitely entertaining!