Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Release Year: 2001
Review: The first chapter in the Harry Potter saga. Being a fan of books its hard to objectively review the films since I like the source material so well. It's hard not to fault the film for leaving out large chunks of the plot. The wonderfully detailed wizard world seemed to be truncated without all the small tidbits of information Rowling carefully worked into the books. Also missing was the inner dialog and subtle emotional queues the characters give which are spelled out for you in the book, and are largely lost on the very young cast. Important parts of the plot seemed to be glossed over with a quick montage and orchestral music. However, the film could not cover everything. Even with its liberal trimmings the film comes in at nearly two and a half hours. All things considered the film stays remarkably close to the book and successfully introduces the rich cast of characters and the imaginative wizarding world. In the end I appreciated the film, but wished there was less time spent on flashy scenes like the Quidditch match and more time spent on character development.
Rating: 3/5

Born Into Brothels

Release Year: 2004
Review: A documentary spotlighting the turmoil facing the kids who live in the red light districts of Calcutta. A group of children are given cameras and photography lessons and we get to know how amazing these children are, through their photos and their interviews, despite their abhorrent circumstances. The children aren't given much of a chance, despite their talents most boarding schools will not even contemplate taking them in because of their parents illegal profession. It is hard but to be overcome with sorrow over the plight of not only the children featured in this film, but those that are born into the poorest regions all of over the world. It's harsh reality that despite this documentary winning an Oscar, many of the children featured never make it out the red light district. It is a sad, but inspiring, peek into true poverty and the hope that can be found within it.
Rating: 4/5

The Sea Inside

Release Year: 2004
Review: Based on a true story about a quadriplegic, named Ramón Sampedro, 28 year campaign to end his own life. Javier Bardem gives a remarkable performance as Ramón, imbuing him with a charisma that makes us not want to see him die, which is an essential part of the film. While the film is emotional, and well acted it did get a bit dull. Unlike 'The Diving Bell and the Butterfly', which deals with a similar situation, this film didn't keep me engaged. It felt a bit repetitive at parts, and never really stretched itself to make itself really gripping. However the right to die debate is handled wonderfully, and this film will make you think hard about your stance on it regardless of your side.
Rating: 3/5

My Father (Ma-i pa-deo)

Release Year: 2007 (Korea)
Review: This is an emotionally charged film from Korea based on a true story about an American adopted Korean man, James(Daniel Henney) , who joins the army in search of his birth parents. After being stationed in Korea he manages to locate his father who is on death row for murder. Through repeated visits to his father James learns to love him despite his past. The cast did a great job handling this emotional and sensitive subject. While the plot was interesting and engaging what I missed out on was the motivation behind Jame's actions. However, this is based on real events, so the film only had so much liberty. It also felt as though the film sacrificed itself in some areas in order to shove in some needless comical or overly emotional scene. I enjoyed the film, but can't give it a higher rating simply because I could not connect with the main character or understand his motivations.
Rating: 3/5

Do the Right Thing

Release Year: 1989
Review: A film full of visual style, painting a vivid, if not exaggerated, portrait of a 'typical' neighborhood in Brooklyn. Spike Lee uses vibrant colors and music and language that are full of style to create an array of interesting characters simply living their lives on a particularly hot day in the city. At the heart of this film are the racial tensions that drive the plot from beginning. This film is aptly named 'Do the Right Thing', but it is presented more as a question in the film rather than a statement. What is the right thing to do? Lee carefully constructs a brilliantly intense climatic scene in which the hatred that had been simmering all along finally erupts and the result will affect each viewer differently. Who was right and who was wrong, or if there is really a clear cut answer to that question is the essence of this film. Regardless of your opinion this film will evoke strong emotions and will make you question even your own stances on racial issues, and this is what makes this film so great.
Rating: 4/5

The Day The Earth Stood Still

Release Year: 2008
Review: A remake of the 1951 sci-fi classic, 'The Day the Earth Stood Still' tries to market itself to a modern audience with state of the art special effects and a new message that would resonate with the current audience. The original film had an underlying messages about the cold war that was meant to speak to its generation. The current adaptation replaces these messages with the current crisis facing our environment. Unfortunately this message is far to heavy handed and preachy, coming off more as a green-peace propaganda piece, rather than a sci-fi blockbuster. Not only did it fail on delivering its message but it wasn't a fun movie either. If all you are looking for are aliens and explosions there are far better movies out there that will deliver it. The acting is painful, and the plot points felt generic and forced. It was if the film didn't know if it wanted to be a cerebral thriller with a message or a mindless alien flick with lots of eye candy and it ended up failing miserably at both. I admire its aim, but can't applaud its effort.
Rating: 2/5

Observe and Report

Release Date: 2009
Review: A mall security cop with some serious mental issues gets obsessed with a girl and does anything to protect her. I had high hopes for 'Observe and Report' as I do with all movies starring Seth Rogen. Unfortunately this film largely missed the mark for me. It seemed like they were channeling 'Taxi Driver', complete with a monotone, self important narration given near the climax. Where it fails is that this is a comedy with extremely dark undertones, that doesn't generate the laughs. If a film is going to go in the direction of being overly offensive it had better deliver on humor, but for the most part this film did not. Instead of being funny it was more disturbing, which created an awkward feeling throughout the entire film. It was as if the film maker knew they had us trapped for the next two hours and they were just going to torture us by being as offensive as they possibly could. There were good ideas at the heart of it, but the writing was too weak to deliver. Sometimes less and is more, a point that was clearly overlooked while making this film.
Rating: 2/5

Fast & Furious

Release Year: 2009
Review: I haven't seen the previous films in this series, so I had no connection to the prior plot lines or characters. There isn't much to this film. There are nice cars that people, who apparently have super-human driving abilities, race to do mostly nefarious activities. Not seeing the first one and not being a fan of cars I'm not the target audience for this movie. There is plenty of action and a paper thing plot. I think it accomplishes what it set out to do, which is to appeal to its large audience. If you liked the previous films you will probably like this one. If you didn't, or don't think this is your type of movie then don't expect to be surprised with a meaningful subplot.
Rating: 2/5

Ghost Town

Release Year: 2008
Review: Ricky Gervais stars in this comedy about a man who, after a brush with death, can communicate with all the ghosts who are stuck wandering around New York city with unfinished business. A man, Dr. Pincus, is miserable and doesn't get along with the society surrounding him. Because of an event (technically dieing) he is forced to meet a girl who breaks him out of his shell and he falls in love with her. This is a by-the-books romantic comedy, there is no doubt about it. Fortunately, despite the fact that this is very formulaic, Ricky Gervais is just bitter and sarcastic enough to provide many laugh out loud moments. There is nothing all too memorable about the film, but it is moderately funny and worth the watch if you're in the mood for a light, familiar feeling film, that will provide a few laughs.
Rating: 3/5

Wicker Park

Release Year: 2004
Review: Wicker Park is a complicated plot of love and obsession that slowly unwinds before you. It follows Matt, a young, but successful man in search of his lost love. The plot is interesting, but can get convoluted at times. The biggest fault of the film is that it is ultimately too conventional. There was little ever doubt where it would eventually go. For most of the film the director plays up the tension of Matt almost coming in contact with his love interest, but falling just short. This is expected to happen so it loses some of the suspense. However, the acting was well done and story was compelling enough to make it an enjoyable film that explores the limits of what should be done in the name of love.
Rating: 4/5

Gremlins

Release Year: 1984
Review: One of my all time favorite monster movies and a classic 80's film, Gremlins shows us how adorable furry pets can terrorize a town. Feeding off the fears of foreign products in the United States, Gizmo is purchased from a Chinese junk dealer by a crackpot inventor as a gift for his son. Lacking the discipline needed for caring for the fluffy creature, the careless acts of the new owner spawns mutant forms of the pet which are out to kill everyone in the small town. If nothing else the sheer cuteness of Gizmo makes this film memorable. This is a hilarious monster movie that doesn't take itself too seriously with just the right mix of gore and wry humor.
Rating: 4/5

His Name Was Jason: 30 years of Friday the 13th

Release Year: 2009
Review: I remember watching the early Friday the 13th every Halloween and having nightmares for weeks after. Friday the 13th has always been my favorite slasher series with Jason representing everything a great monster should be. This is a television documentary that tries to sums up the entire run of the franchise with actor interviews and and plenty of of the best clips from the films. It was a nice look back at the films and certainly made me want to go and rewatch a few of them. One of the problems I had with it was that it tried to convince us that the franchise was a cohesive story with each film tying into the others, but this is clearly not the case. Friday the 13 is, and will always be, an exploitation film. The film makers weren't concerned about making a seamless sequel, they just wanted to make a few bucks and scare the audience. There is nothing wrong with this, its what we expect and is why we love them. This isn't a top rate documentary, and was clearly made for television, but is a good nostalgic watch.
Rating: 3/5

Postal

Release Year: 2007
Review: Uwe Boll is back at it adapting yet another video game into a film and once again produces a colossal failure of anything resembling entertainment. I believe Uwe was trying to push the limits on what is considered decent and shock the viewers into entertainment. This might have worked out had it been more tongue in cheek, or at least been either funny or meaningful. Unfortunately all this film provides is the offensive without any of the laughs. I don't consider myself up-tight and enjoy my share of gross out or offensive humor, but there is none to be had here. It's not about Uwe crossing any lines or being offensive, there is just nothing there beyond that. This film has nothing going for it. There is no interesting plot to speak of, no laughs and the action is lacking. There is no reason to waste your time watching this garbage.
Rating: 1/5

Sweet and Lowdown

Release Year: 1999
Review: A mock documentary about the life of a gifted, yet flawed, jazz musician Emmet Ray. Woody Allen constructs this film in a way to make you believe that the story your seeing unfold is about a real person, where most of what he learn about Emmet is through Jazz lore that is often distorted and contradictory. This is a brilliant way to show that its not all about what happens, but how its remembered. Sean Penn gives a great performance as Emmet and Allen delivers one of his best films of the 90's in this heartfelt, and often very funny, film.
Rating: 4/5

Desperately Seeking Susan

Release Year: 1985
Review: A romantic comedy set in New York City in the 1980's, Desperately Seeking Susan follows the adventure of Roberta, a straight laced house wife who obsesses over the free spirited Susan. This film has the rare trait of being produced, written and directed by females giving a unique take on the familiar romantic comedy genre. Unfortunately the film never really pushes the bounds of the genre, seeming to not want to wander too far from the well worn path of so many similar films before it. Madonna and Rosanna Arquette both give strong performances, but weren't given enough to work with. There are some fun moments, but on a whole there were too many cliche scenarios and standard plot points to make this a great film.
Rating: 3/5

Annie Hall

Review: The greatest of Woody Allen's works. This cerebral comedy optimizes the post modernism that characterizes a majority of Allen's films. The quick, witty, dialog pops and the chemistry between Allen and Keaton is remarkable. It seems people either adore Allen's whiny, self deprecating humor, or love it and this film is no different. While a romantic comedy at its core, Allen breaks convention at every turn, turning the genre on its head. Stylistically and thematically it refuses to be boxed into a genre stereotype. Annie Hall strives to show that love is necessary, but ultimately a doomed concept. With his sarcastic quips and pessimistic, but brutally honest, outlooks on life, Woody Allen created an all time classic which set the bar for not only the rest of his films, but the genre itself.
Rating: 5/5