Apocalypto

The Good:
Visually stunning piece of work.

The plot was strong. Yes it was history mixed with your traditional hero epic - but none the less it was strong, easy to follow, and well written.

Rudy Youngblood was absolutely brilliant as the main character Jaguar Paw. His emotion was tangible and raw. Exactly as it should have been.

Both the main "villains" were also exceptionally good.

The Bad:
It was an epic tale, ala The Odyssey and even Braveheart, which made it a little thick at times and perhaps a bit less accessible to the average viewer.

Again - I put this down as a negative ONLY because some people have so many problems with subtitled movies. This movie is subtitled, for me that was not a problem, but if subtitles bug you than this is not the film for you.

Over all:
I enjoyed it. For me it was particularly neat because I knew the history that surrounded the story that was being told so my mind was constantly pondering what was going on around the central story in the world at the time.

Strange Circus

The Good:
I have nothing good to say about this film.

The Bad:
Ugh. Maybe it was just me. Other people seem to have liked this film but it was just awful. Bad acting, bad staging, just ugh. It was confusing and disturbing but not in the horror movie disturbing kind of way - in the "there's no need for this" kind of way.

Over all:
I rank this right up there with Ichi The Killer. Absolutely no reason to waste your time.

Casino Royale

The Good:
The opening theme or "The Bond Theme" is GREAT. Chris Cornell style.

Daniel Craig was fantastic as Bond. I haven't been even slightly curious about a Bond film since the Sean Connery days and I'm actually very glad I took the time to watch this one. Whereas Remington Steele, oh wait... I mean Pierce Brosnan, was just cheesy and Timothy Dalton was just bad - Craig is a Bond akin to Connery. Cool, calculating, suave and dare I say sexy - he is exactly what Bond should always be.

Mads Mikkelsen was a fabulous villain. The Bond villains almost seem to take over the films from time to time but Mads was so perfectly balanced against Craig he just became a part of things.

This movie has what may be the most incredible chase scene I have ever seen. Definitely the best chase in a Bond movie. I recognized the "villain" who I'm sure was responsible for much of the scenes staging instantly as Sebastien Foucan, inventor of the sport Free Running. I watched a documentary on him and his sport on the Discovery Channel some time ago and if I was amazed with him then - I am even more impressed now. Even if you don't care for Bond the movie is worth seeing if only for this sequence. It's close to the beginning so you can get through it quick.

The Bad:
It's a Bond film, and because it's a Bond film, the plot is extremely predictable. You know who the character set is going to be, you know what's going to happen, you know what the resolution will be. There is very little guessing or surprise involved.

Some of the auxiliary characters aren't as well rounded as you would like for them to be.

Over all:
I really enjoyed this movie, and I didn't expect to. It lacked a lot of what I hate about Bond films (the overt sexism, the cheese, the unnecessary and predictable explosions and gadget sequences) and retained everything I did like (the cool bond, the cool villain, the cool soundtrack).

Across The Universe

Across The Universe Trailer - video powered by Metacafe

The Good:
It was a beautiful movie. The colors were vibrant and the cinematography was spot on.

Great plot - although it was based on historical reality so it's kind of hard to go wrong.

I thought Jim Sturgess, who played Jude, was amazing.

The soundtrack was fantastic. It's Beatles songs we're all familiar with, but covered in a way that is at the very least good and in some cases absolutely fantastic (see Dana Fuchs' cover of Helter Skelter - her voice is AMAZING).

The Bad:
It is a musical, but a very accessible one. I felt I needed to put it down as a "negative" only because some people are very turned off by musicals. I would still HIGHLY recommend this film - but just wanted to throw that out there.

Over all:
I very much enjoyed this film. I can see why it got so much critical acclaim. It made you feel something genuine, which is a rarity with modern cinema most of the time.

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

I realized that I never bothered to write a review of the original Pirates. Figured I'd toss one up.

The Good:
There was actually a lot about this film that was very good - which surprised me I will admit.

Johnny Depp was amazing. If you are a Depp fan, and if not I say shame on you, then this is a must see. He is fantastic.

Geoffrey Rush, also fantastic.

The effects were actually stunning at times, which is a lot for someone like me who isn't big on effects most of the time.

The Bad:
Disney Movie.

Disney Movie based on a theme park ride.

Over All:
This movie was a lot of fun. Being that as above noted it was based on a theme park ride in Disney World, that came as a huge surprise with me. I was actually invited to see this in the theatre several times and always passed. I finally saw it on DVD and was blown away. I went into it expecting nothing and was surprised to have a lot of fun instead. I am rarely surprised when I expect nothing from a film so this one gets bonus points for actually proving me wrong - for the most part.

V for Vendetta

The Good:
Wow... where to start.

The cinematography was fantastic.

The lighting was dead on.

The villains were truly evil and the heroes were complex just the way I like them.

The story was great from opening to ending - if there ever is truly an ending to this story.

V was wonderful both to watch and to listen to. Do yourself a favor. Don't read the back of the movie or try to figure out who he is before you watch it. Try to guess. I assure you both that you should be able to figure it out and that you will be well rewarded whether you do or not.

The Bad:
I find Natalie Portman to be flat, one dimensional and ultimately forgettable in almost everything she does save The Professional. Though she was better than average in this film, I felt the character would have been better served by a more multidimensional or personality possessing actress. It was far to important a role to have been wasted as it was.

All in all:
Easily one of the best political statements I have had the pleasure of watching in a very long time. I adore seeing corrupt governments overthrown by the very people they try to enslave and destroy. There is nothing more rewarding. As V himself says "people should not fear their governments, governments should fear their people". Just good on so many levels - particularly when you see that it is a future not to far removed from the direction in which our current leadership would have us move as quickly as possible. A great thing to watch with an election looming on the horizon. If this won't motivate you to dethrone the dictators, nothing will.

The Private Eyes

The Good:
I always enjoy Tim Conway and Don Knotts together.

It was a fun film - there are so few of those now that it makes these even better.

The Bad:
I wished that the sound had been done a little better. There were times where it was almost too quiet to hear, and times when it was unbelievably loud - but this could be because it is an older film.

All in all:
I really had a great time watching this movie. It made me feel like a kid again and that is hard to do. It was a little bit of The Pink Panther mixed with a little bit of Scooby-Doo and overall a great movie for a rainy Saturday afternoon.