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