Never Let Me Go (2010)

Based on a book of the same name (I haven't read,) it takes place in an alternate universe Britain in the 90s.  The acting was very good, and the story was somewhat slow; but interesting throughout.  It's a meditative thought experiment set in a slightly science fiction setting.

I enjoyed it; though, I found the premise implausible.  It's one of those that I can't expound on without ruining the experience.

I would recommend it if you are into more "artsy" sci-fi.  It's in the same vein as Gattaca; but not as spectacular.

Drag Me to Hell (2009)

Sam Raimi director this horror film about a lady loan officer that gets cursed by a gypsy for denying her a mortgage payment extension.

The special effects were really good as was Raimi directorial style. The plot wasn't terribly original. The execution was done very well.

It's out on DVD and Bluray now. I recommend the rental.

Pandorum (2009)

Dead Space, the video game, meets Space Madness, an episode of Ren and Stimpy.

A crew member of a space exploration vessel awakes from extended cryo sleep to an apparently empty ship. Another crew member wakes up, and they find that the ship is in trouble - the reactor is about to blow. Soon after, they find out that the ship isn't as empty as he first thought...

As the protagonist makes his way to the reactor, we find out more about the ship, its mission, destination, and the origin of the monsters. At times, I thought the plot was going into the horror/fantasy realm; but it surprisingly remained hard-scifi (for the most part, anyway.)

It's not a perfect movie or one that I would give an enthusiastic recommendation for; but I did enjoy it a lot. If you love sci-fi movies, I think you'll be quite pleased with it.

Surrogate (2009)

A detective comes across a case where someone destroyed robot surrogates and killed their operators in the process. He ends up uncovering a larger mystery.

It's a scifi action film about a detective solving a murder mystery. It reminded me of I Robot a little. I liked it.

It's not a great movie, but it is pretty good.

Lesbian Vampire Killers (2009)

I wasn't going to watch this based on the title. Out of curiosity, I checked out the imdb profile, and saw that it was likened to Sean of the Dead. I liked Sean a lot; so I checked out LVK.

Although it wasn't as good as Sean, it was a fun goofy movie. I was surprised by the quality of the FX and acting. It wasn't the B movie I was expecting.

I'm not sure I would say it was the same kind of movie as Sean of the Dead. I guess they are both British horror-comedies. But LVK was a lot less horror and a lot more comedy.

There's more than a few funny jokes. It's definitely worth a rent.

Wolverine (2009)

This movie received a lot of negative reviews.  They are not unjustified.  Unless you really like comic book character or super hero movies, I'd say give this one a pass.

Here is what is wrong with it.  The special FX are not super.  There are points where the graphics look painted on.  In one scene, wolverine is examining his claws by moving them around in front of his face, and the CG claws don't track with his hand.  Things like this can take you completely out of the movie as you think about how bad it looks.  

The plot is not super either.  It's full of holes and a bit dull.

The acting was good, though.   And the movie was full of action.  If you're going to see it, see it on a big screen for the thrill ride.

Star Trek (2009)

This is arguably the 2nd best Star Trek movie (2nd to Wrath of Khan.)  I think it's one of the best scifi movies ever.  Whether you're a Star Trek fan or not, I think you'll enjoy it.

If you are a Star Trek fan, there is plenty to like.  In particular, Dr McCoy was great.  There are other great injokes and plot points that are put there just for you.

Due to a time travel paradox, this is a different Star Trek than the original series.   The characters are very similar; but not the same.  And the universe has been irrevocably changed in ways that will give future movies new plot points to follow. 

I'm looking forward to future movies with this same crew.

The Midnight Meat Train

It's a very gory horror film with more than a few recognizable actors.  I rented it because it's based on a short story by Clive Barker.  I know anything that guy writes is going to be a trip.

And it is a trip.   I don't have much to complain about.  The movie was horror through and through with an interesting twist in the end.  It also left me thinking about it when it was over (if you watch it, look for the name of the last train station.)

They did some wild things with the cinematography.  Stuff I haven't seen in a movie before.  I came away with some very disturbing images - and not just because of the graphics, but because of the horror of the circumstance.  It's not "torture porn"; it's way better than that.

It's not the greatest movie ever made; but it's definitely worth the rent even just too see the special fx.

(note: the unrated version has a cartoonish amount of blood. Japanese director, go figure.)

Rambo (2008)

I was sceptical going in.  The fourth movie in a series is seldom good.  But I have to say, it didn't disappoint.  If you liked the other Rambo movies, you'll like this one too.  Probably a lot.

Also, it's the goriest war movie I've ever seen.  Gorier than Saving Private Ryan.  But it's done in a way that looks excessive instead of realistic.  Which is to say, it's quite spectacular.  It looks real.  If you're squeamish, you may want to give this one a pass.  You'll be hiding your eyes through half of it.

It's a great final chapter to the John Rambo story.

Taken

I'd never heard of this movie. I was surprised to see Liam Neeson in it. He plays a retired CIA operative whose daughter gets kidnapped while she's in France. He goes to Paris to find her and get her back home.

It's a very suspenseful action movie. My wife and I were both intensely involved all the way through. What happens when some bad people abduct the daughter of a very serious ex-spy? Turns out it's exactly what you would think might happen.

This movie reminded me of several others, most closely Man on Fire. which means it's not that original. But unoriginality is forgivable if the movie is good. If you enjoyed these types of movies, you'll really like this one.

Speed Racer (2008)

I had really low expectations when I started watching this movie, and I was pleasantly surprised. It was campy, and fun. It made me smile in several places. The special effects were very cool.

What I found most impressive was the compositing and editing of the different scenes. They used this device a few times that I really enjoyed. to cut from one scene to another, they would "wipe" a talking head across the screen. It had the effect of keeping the action nonstop while transitioning to a different point of view.

Not the best movie in the world; but it was still enjoyable.

Letters from Iwo Jima

I enjoyed this movie more than Flags of Our Fathers. It just had more action, drama, and likable characters. It was a real touching movie done really well. It's subtitled in English; but I recommend it even if that's not your thing.

Quantum of Solace

I think the Bond people watched the Bourne trilogy, and said, "we can do that better". And they did.

In this new movie, James Bond is much more brutal than any of the others. It's much more like watching Bourne or Transporter, except, I think Daniel Craig does it better.

This movie had the shaky camera; but it was much less annoying than any of the Bourne films. Some of the action sequences left me wondering how they got the shot -- like in the first part of the film when Bond and the double agent go through the window onto the scaffolding. Even with the quick cuts and shaky camera, the action was very entertaining to watch.

Bond uses not a single remarkable gadget in this movie, or at least, nothing you haven't seen before on 24 or Alias. I think this is a symptom of where we are as a society. We are no longer impressed by tiny cameras or laser watches.

I was impressed by the computer interface at MI6. It reminded me of the UI in Minority Report, and except it was far more practical. I could see this becoming a reality someday.

The plot ... let's say that the plot didn't get in the way.

There was a sub plot about Bond getting revenge on someone for killing Vesper. I figured out that this was a continuation of the plot from Casino Royale. This movie starts very soon after that one ended, and I wish I had watched it before watching this one; because I had no idea who she was or why she died.

Bonds beats, shoots, and stabs his way through the film. There are vehicle chases (including a plane chase), and a romp through an exploding apartment complex. The film is thrilling and fun to watch. I recommend seeing it while it's in the theater.

Bee Movie

I didn't like it. The acting was horrible. The plot is stupid. And it wasn't funny at all.

It's bad communist propaganda.

Tropic Thunder

A team of actors are working on a big budget vietnam war film.  The film is in trouble and things are made worse when the actor's egos collide.  Then things go horribly wrong.

Robert Downey Jr was the highlight of the film.  He cracked me up a lot.  He plays an Australian actor playing a black character to large comedic effect.  

There was mild violence and some bad language.  I would recommend this rental.

Wanted

It's a brain-dead action flick. I do not recommend that you think about the plot, the physics, choices characters make, or anything else. Just marvel at the special effects and outrageous action.

The Ruins

It looks like  yet another dumb-americans-in-a-foreign-country gore fest; but it's not.  The movie is gory; but I wouldn't put it in the same category as Wolf Creek or Hostel.  It's more survival horror.

The antogonist is surprisingly scary.  It made for a really suspenseful movie.  

Not a whole lot of negative things to say.  Check it out if you like a good horror story with more than a couple of twists.

The X Files: I Want to Believe

It's for me hard to remember the TV Series or even the last movie. I want to compare this latest movie with either of those. All I can say is that this movie is good, and it stands alone fairly well. I'm sure there are some in-jokes and inside references that I missed; but honestly, it didn't rely too much on that. This movie was like a 90 minute episode from the first couple of seasons.

The acting and special effects were both done well, and the story was intriguing. The movie kept my attention the whole way through.

If you like the X-Files or horror/scifi, rent this movie, and I think you'll be pleased.

Don't Mess With the Zohan

I don't know what they were thinking.  This movie was horrible.  It is filled with unfunny racial stereotypes and stupid special effects, and it has a retarded plot.

Don't waste your money.  Unless you're an israeli or palistinian  new yorker - the apparent target audience.