FANTASTIC MR.FOX

I'm going to start off by saying I love Wes Anderson films (Royal Tenebaums, Darjeeling Limited, Rushmore, and so forth). He's one of my favorite film makers, he has yet to disappoint with his films. They are all so good.

Fantastic Mr Fox is definitely in the classic Wes Anderson film category. The biggest difference of the film is the obvious stop motion claymation/animation production of the film. And usually I'm not a fan of it, but in this one it incredibly worked. It was, no pun intended, a fantastic film.

The voice actors were all great; George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Owen Wilson, and more that were just exceptional. You can never go wrong with actors that Anderson casts. He does such a good job, of bringing together and exceptional cast. Sure a lot of the time he uses the same people but thats what so good about his stuff the continutiy of actors and just the fact that he balances them all so well in the films.

Plot wise, it was really good and cute. Typical hero saving the day but making bad choices in doing so. The main character, Mr.Fox is rebel character that does what he can for his family while living his life the best he can. Without giving away to much, it's a very thoughful story with touching and great comedic moments. A very enjoyable movie overall, strongly recommended to all. The only reason I took away a point is because there were some really slow moments, but not enough to completely take a lot away.

In the End, I'd give this movie 9/10

Last movies seen for the year...

Just a list of the last few movies I have seen in 2009. (with the exception of FANTASTIC MR.FOX and UP IN THE AIR)

Brothers 7/10
Transylmania 5/10
Avatar 7/10
Sherlock Holmes 7/10

And just a few words about AVATAR, cause apparently that's the IT movie right now. In my opinion its overrated. James Cameron created another long boring film that was overly predicted and ripped off every other movie of its kind. The CGI were good, but I mistakenly watched it in 3-D and chose not to wear my glasses because they bugged me, and when I didn't the picture was distorted so I couldn't even enjoy that. I don't recommend 3-D films to anyone, it's not worth the extra money (even if I didn't pay for this one) and it takes away from actually enjoying the film.

Top 10 BEST of 2009

It was a semi-busy year for the movies, I saw significantly more movies this year than I have in a couples (substantially more since I quite the theater two years ago). There were some good ones and some really horrible ones. But like every year I like to make a list of my top 10 of the year.

1. SLUMDOG MILLIONARE
2. CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
3. INGLORIOUS BASTERDS
4. FANTASTIC MR.FOX
5. UP IN THE AIR
6. THE READER
7. UP
8. FROST/NIXON
9. HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF BLOOD PRINCE
10. A SERIOUS MAN

A SERIOUS MAN

Well, there's not a whole lot to say about this film other than the fact that it was your usual run of the mill Cohen Film. Except with the Cohen Brothers nothing it quiet run of the mill.

You can find the quirkiness and absurdity of this film, and can honestly put lots of wonder and confused thoughts into this one, but that what it's all about. I honestly think that this film was made just to make you think and wonder....WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?

Though of all the actors and actresses in this movie, I only recognized one by face and that was the young Rabbi portrayed by Simon Helberg of TV's BIG BANG THEORY and DR.HORRIBLE. He always plays the stereotypical Jewish person, but he does it so well. The main character, portrayed by Michael Stuhlbarg was interesting and a little out of the loop from the rest of the world around him, and that's what I liked about this film the characters were all out of place.

The Cohen Brothers always make a good and entertaining film, now this wasn't nearly as good as FARGO or NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN but it definitely stands alone amongst their films as a different one.

In The End, I'd give this 8/10

And next up for my review will be Wes Anderson's long overdue FANTASTIC MR.FOX and later this month my Top 10 of the Year (after the year)

TOP 10 for 2010

One more quick post before I go (and I promise, more ACTUAL reviews sooner than later).
But I like doing this every year. Movies come out without a date set so early, but I still enjoy making a preemptive list for coming year of movies. So, here is my top 10 list for movies I'm excited to see for 2010:

1. Iron Man 2
2. Toy Story 3
3. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
4. Percy Jackson and the Olympians
5. Clash of the Titans
6. Alice in Wonderland
7. Jonah Hex
8. Kick-ass
9. Cop Out
10. Robin Hood

An update before the last few weeks of the year....

So, as of today I have now reached 49 movies seen this year. There's about of half a dozen films left to see before the start of 2010. Of course the Oscar Season has already begun. There's a couple films out that are considered for Favorite Film and I'm really excited to see how this upcoming Oscar season goes.

But for now, here are the other movies I've seen so far since my last update (not including my most recently view film THE FANTASTIC MR.FOX and A SERIOUS MAN)

Couples Retreat - 7/10
Zombieland - 7/10
Invention of Lying - 7/10
Men Who Stare At Goats - 7/10
New Moon - 7/10
Where the Wild Things Are - 6/10
2012 - 6/10
Cirque du Freak - 4/10

And I know I'm not exactly reviewing every film like I originally stated, but a lot of the films I've seen don't need much reviewing due to the fact that they are entirely bad or just already have so much publicity. And yes, I know its kind of redundant to watch films that I know are going to be bad but I honestly just love siting in a theater (regardless what's on the screen...most anyways)

INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS

How many times have you gone into a movie that had on it's poster Presented by Quentin Tarantino? Well, sure his name is on the film but it doesn't mean it's his film, cause it's not. Those are purely movies trying to gain audience by throwing a famous name on their movie. The truth is, Tarantino most likely had nothing really to do with it.

Inglourious Basterds on the other hand, now that was a Tarantino movie. And honestly I think it might have very well taken place as my favorite of his films. He is an awesome director and his movies are all great (though I have yet to see JACKIE BROWN or his half of GRINDHOUSE). Though it was very long and dragging, it stayed progressive and entertaining.

SOME SPOILERS AHEAD....

Brad Pitt was really good it in, almost as good as his BENJAMIN BUTTON performance but good none the less. Christopher Waltz, Melanie Laurent, Diane Kruger, and Tim Roth all did an excellent job in their performances and it's probably the best acted cast of the Tarantino films. THere wasn't really a bad actor or performance, even the smaller roles were good. And that opening scene leading up to the fillm was rather entertaining.

Of course, it was also awesome seeing Hitler being blown to kingdom come, the story was rather compelling, as compelling as it can be for Tarantino. The only thing that really bothered me at all was the fact that everyone got killed off in the bar scene, I was hoping for some basterds triumptant even through the craziness. But it wasn't enough for me not to enjoy this film.

I'm really happy with this film, and can't wait for Tarantino's next one (and I of course will be buying this one when it comes out on dvd)

In The End, I give it 9/10

Update....

Since I haven't really been updating films since July I figured I'd just skip the formal reviews and just do a grade list (with the exception on INGLORIOUS BASTERDS - which I'll do a review on later).

But for now, here are the grades of the films that I have seen lately...

Bruno - 8/10
Harry Potter and Half Blood Prince - 8/10
Extract - 8/10
Funny People - 7/10
GI JOE: Rise of Cobra - 7/10
District 9 - 7/10

It's been a slow few months, nothing really good has come out worth going out and spending $10 to see. There were a couple I wanted to see, but never got around seeing I guess they'll become good ole Netflix films when they come out on DVD. Until then there's only a couple months left in the year, which means pretty soon will be Oscar Season once again, best time of the year. I will do my best to definitely review the films that will be in the Oscar race, so keep an eye on the page.

- Beau

THE HANGOVER

When people ask me what my favorite genre of movies are, I usually tell them I don't have one because I really don't. I love all kinds, I'm not picky. But if it came down to it and I had to pick one specific genre that I couldn't give up then comedy would definitely be it.
To me films are all about entertainment, and what better way to be entertained than to laugh your ass off at some random top notch screen comedy?

Well, this summer the comedy with all the buzz is HANGOVER. People underestimate comedies, but they sure can pull in the big bucks. This summer was all about Wolverine, Star Trek, HP, and Transformers but nobody suspected that the HANGOVER would be the sleeper hit of the summer.

Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, and Zack G aren't your big screen A-listers so when you look at the names on the posters you have to wonder who these guys are. But after watching HANGOVER they're going to have some fans now. Definitely a laugh-out-loud film that delievers joke, after joke, and makes you feel good after leaving the theater. And for those folks that haven't been to Las Vegas (me included) make them want to go EVEN MORE.

Now obviously, you have to have some fiction in a comedy, but the fact that this stuff could potentially happen (give a random occurrence of events) it's not 100% impossible. It's hard to review comedies for me because mostly their only meant to entertain and make you laugh. And if the film does that, whether its not stop or the occasional outburst I think it's a fairly well done movie at that. The HANGOVER is no exception.

Now, I may not love it like everyone else does but don't get me wrong I enjoyed it. But I didn't feel as LOL'd charged like some other comedies from the past few years. It was definitely entertaining and I'll be sure to watch it again when it comes to dvd. But it's not something I'd see in theaters multiple times.

If you love comedies, or just like laughing go see it. It's definitely worth a 1st time view.

In The End, I'd give this one 8/10

TRANSFORMERS : REVENGE OF THE FALLEN

Okay, I am always the one that speaks against Michael Bay and everything he has directed. He is one of the most horrendous film makers alive. And yes, I have a bias because he's primarily a Dreamworks guy (and he's one of many reason I despise that company). So when I think TRANSFORMERS, the first thing I have to do is toss out the window that Michael Bay is the director of this film.

Now is TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN a "movie" per say (plot, character development, confrontation, and entertaining)? Of course, it has all those things.
But are they good? NO!

Going into watching this movie I had the same exact attitude as the first one, it's a Michael Bay film I don't expect to actually have a good movie with key elements, all I'm expecting are giant robots beating the heck out of each other. And that I did get. When it comes to TRANSFORMERS or T:ROTF all I have to do is thank George Lucas, because he created ILM and they are responsible for making the Autobots and Decepticons look bad ass.

Paying for this movie made me feel dirty, because I gave Michael Bay money. That bastard deserves nothing to this movie, it was all ILM and Megan Fox's hot ass. Okay, yes, I'm a typical 20 something year old male who thinks Megan Fox is extremely gorgeous with an amazing body, but seriously who doesn't think that? But anatomy aside, there isn't a whole lot to expect from this film past those two elements.

The fight scenes were well done, though some quick and more deserving but what can you do. Some robots deserved more screen time, especially the Constructicon DEVASTATOR. He was really awesome, but got minimal screen time; not nearly enough to kick some Autobot behind. But I get what I get. So let me tell you, don't go in looking for a story or for an amazing film. If you go in expecting to much you're going to be disappointed. Go in to look at Fox and the CGI robots, cause beyond that there's nothing else to look forward to.

In The End, I give this one 8/10

Update for the Summer 2009...

I've been constant with seeing a film every week, and it's making me slow down on my reviews. So I think I'll only start reviewing films fully that receive an 8 or higher ranking on my list. As of today I've seen 33 movies (which is pretty good if I do say so myself). So I'll go ahead and list the other films I've seen so far this summer that didn't quiet make an 8 rating...the other ones that did; you'll be seeing reviews of them shortly.

YEAR ONE - 6/10
PROPOSAL - 7/10
PUBLIC ENEMIES - 7/10
I LOVE YOU, BETH COOPER - 7/10

The remaining films I have seen that have scored higher...TRANSFORMERS 2, THE HANGOVER, and BRUNO will get reviewed later this weekend or at least next week.

Pixar's UP

Now, I love Pixar/Disney films. They are becoming the best of all animated/cgi films. Now, I wish that'd more actual animated films were being produced but I think the age of standard animation is coming to an end and the CGI world is taking over.

And that's not so bad, especially with Pixar being at the helm of it. There has yet to be a film produced by the combined power of Pixar/Disney that has failed to entertain and UP was definitely no exception. Though it was not as good as the TOY STORY films, or last years WALL-e, it had its moments.

The animation itself is becoming so presitge and very advance; things are beginning to look almost flawless and perfect on screen these days. The quality of the story and plot are so much better and compelling than the usual kids animated movies (like Shrek or Madagascar). The quality of the film was very enjoyable and made me not regret buying a ticket to seeing it like some of the films that have been playing in theaters.

It's definitely a movie I'd recommend to someone who had an interest in animated films, family films, or just a movie to watch in some spare time. There has yet to be a Pixar film that has disappointed me with story, animation, comedy, and overall quality. Though it's not great, and has some slow moments it's still a very good movie.

In The End, I'd give this film 8/10

TERMINATOR: SALVATION

I had only watched the original TERMINATOR literally a couple days before I saw this one. I just never got around to see it before, it never seemed that big of deal. But with my interest in seeing SALVATION I decided to finally watch it. It was okay, and it's also kind of the way I felt watching SALVATION too.

TERMINATOR SALVATION was mostly an explosion and action packed film that was meant to just entertain the average movie goer and fan of the TERMINATOR franchise. I wouldn't say it was as good as the first two, and I bet anyone else would say the same that's seen all the films.

I could say a lot more, but there isn't much for me to say about this one.

In The End, I'd give this one 7/10

NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM 2

Only a few quick words about this one. I like Ben Stiller, he usually does a good job in comedy roles (Meet the Parents, Zoolander, Dodge Ball) . This one wasn't that funny, but with the exceptions of a few good lines and moments. Of course I loved the cameo by Darth Vader (even though he had no speaking lines, and they made him not as cool as they should have).

It's definitely a film made for families. So, if you have a family take them to see this.

In The End, I'd give this one 7/10

Stay tuned for TERMINATOR : SALVATION and next week Pixar's UP

ANGELS & DEMONS

Ewan McGregor's character must banned together his allies in order to stop a dark enemy that threatens to unravel and destroy his powerful religion and beliefs, but he must solve the mystery of who is overshadowing them. I'm sorry, did I go watch Revenge of the Sith again...oh wait no, it was film version of ANGELS & DEMONS.

I didn't really expect much from this film. I barely remember watching the DaVINCI CODE when it came out in theaters. I only went to see this movie because of the director Ron Howard who I am a fan of, and I like Tom Hanks and Ewan McGregor. Of course, I also like the idea of the fall of the Christian belief system.

But there's not much I'd like to say about this film. It had it's moments, and as a believer in science and it's foundations it's really hard to not be bias in the ideas of religion. The plot of this film is rather over dramatic, and unrealistic when it came to the church. So I don't really have a strong review about this film. It was barely entertaining and if not for Tom Hanks or Ewan McGregor I'd say this film was a flop. I think Ron Howard should stick to films like Frost/Nixon or a Beautiful Mind.

In the End, I'd give this film a 6/10

STAR TREK (2009)

Okay, I felt very dirty paying to see this movie. As a very, very faithful Star Wars fan pretty much since birth I am meant to despise and be against the Trek universe. But after seeing the trailers for it, and also being a fan of J.J.Abrams I had to concede and take time out to see this movie. And I honestly don't regret it (ouch, I felt a sharp pain in my side...must be the betrayal.)

Although I'm a devoted Star Wars fan, I'm also a major nerd and Star Trek is just another nerd movie in my opinion. The film as a whole was entertaining and definitely felt very Star Trekkie to me. The special effects were really well done, those were what really got me into wanting to see this movie. J.J. Abrams did a really good job in making this movie, much better than that weird Cloverfield movie from last year.

The actors themselves portrayed their respective characters really well. Chris Pine (who I never heard of before this movie), Simon Pegg, Karl Urban, and John Cho all did an extremely well job. They were all cheesy in their right mind but in a good entertaining way. My only two actors that bugged me in this film were Zachary Quinto and Leonard Nimoy. To me, Quinto will always be Sylar from HEROES and I kept waiting for Spock to slice somebodies head open and take their powers. Although it's bad to characterize an actor by one role, it's really easy to see someone as that character when it's a tv show. Though, he did do a very good job as Spock it just didn't sell me like the others. And the only other issue was Nimoy's role. To me it seemed like just a plot driven role to sell more tickets and get the old fan boys in by bringing in Nimoy to play Spock. This was suppose to be a revamp of the universe, and it worked but they had to put in the original Spock too.

It was hard to review this film without being to judgmental or bias. So I'm just going to say that overall it was an entertaining movie at best. It had someone really bad and cheesy moments, but it was definitely something to look and listen to. I'd watch it again, but I probably wouldn't pay full admission price again. Do I say, not see it? Nah. I think the average movie goer and sci-fi fan would definitely enjoy it; even the average Star Wars fan too.

In the end, I give it 8/10

X-MEN ORIGINS : WOLVERINE

Opening weekend of Summer Blockbuster Season, for the movie theaters it's the best time of the year for them. But for the movie enthusiast I claim to be, it's the 2nd best time of the year (Oscar Season being the 1st). But what better way to start Summer 2009 then with a prequel to a personal favorite X-MEN TRILOGY (okay, I don't include X3 but it's still a trilogy).

When word broke that Wolverine (aka Hugh Jackman) would be getting his own film, I couldn't be shocked. If you know comics or the X-Men franchise at all, you know Wolverine is the go to guy for the X-Universe, and a big icon in the comic industry; so it's only natural he'd get a solo title. Though I'm not that big a Wolvie fan, I use to despise him in my early days of comic book reading (HE WAS FREAKING EVERYWHERE...not that he's not these days) but over time I got over him and considered him a some what dynamic character.

If you're not knowledge to the Marvel Comic lore, then you should probably know nothing was really known about Wolverine's past until 2001 when Bill Jemas and Joe Quesada brought out a 6-part mini story called ORIGIN that revealed a lot of Wolverine's past. And that is where a good portion of the early movie comes from, and how an origin story could be crafted into the big screen.

As I said, Wolverine is quite the dynamic character and has so much back story that I doubt that this will be a stand alone Wolverine movie. But we shall see.

In the first days of the X-MEN movie, Dougray Scott was the name attached to play Wolverine, but due to time restraints he was released from the position and it was handed over to Hugh Jackman. What a great outcome. I'm not that big of a fan when it comes to Mr. Jackman (2008 People's Sexiest Man Alive) but then again I've only really seen him in the X-Films, but I do love him as Wolverine. He's not the short stack, psychopathic killing, knucklehead that avid comic readers know but he definitely gives his own twist to make a really good Wolverine. And in this solo film, he continues that tradition.

Hugh Jackman resuming as Wolverine, Liev Schrieber taking over as Sabretooth, and Ryan Reynolds as the Merc with a Mouth Deadpool (who by the way will be leading his own solo DEADPOOL movie in the foreseeable future) were the saving graces of this film. Though I had no serious problems with the rest of cast accept for the replacement of Brian Cox's Stryker for Danny Huston's, those three were the best ones in the film. Schrieber is a very talent actor and a step up from the quiet, hairier Tyler Mane version of Sabretooth from the first X-MEN film. And Ryan Reynolds I felt always if ever belong in a comic book movie, it'd have to Wally West's Flash or Deadpool. Glad I'm not the only one who saw it.

With out giving away to much of the plot, I'd have to say it's fairly flaw. The throwing together of random characters from different "eras" of the mutant world didn't fit well into the developing story. With my biggest peeve being Gambit. I've loved this character since the beginning of my comic book days but putting him into this film for the sake of just having him was a mistake. And he didn't really add anything to the story as a whole accept for some flashy special effects. The build up to Wolverine joining the Weapon Plus Program and getting his adamantium wasn't exactly the best, but it worked for a good portion of it. And the ending, the ending need a good strong re-write. Once again, not going into to much detail other wise I'd be giving stuff away.

It's easy to be very critical of this film because it's based on a 30 something year old comic book character, who is still kind of new in comparison to other characters. But something the things they did in this film just so they could add characters and connect it to the first 3 films just didn't do Wolverine justice. There's a lot more they could of done, and a lot less as well. I didn't expect a film as good as X-MEN or X-MEN 2, but I was definitely more impressed with this than Brett Ratner's trash that is X-MEN 3.

Overall, I'd say an entertaining film. As I've said over and over again, as an avid fan and pretty knowledgable comic reader it doesn't work that well, but if you're looking a fun action packed film than I'd say you found one.

Because of my bias, I give it a mid 7/10.

Way behind...

So, I had planned on writing a review for each movie I saw this year. But I've been seeing a movie every single week. And trying to find time to write one for every movie, every week is hard when you're working 40-50 hour weeks and working on other writing projects. So I'll do my best here on out; especially since it's Summer Blockbuster time. But for now, I'll just give rankings to the remaining movies I've seen so far this year:

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE - 10/10

CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON - 9/10
THE READER - 9/10
FROST/NIXON - 8/10
MILK - 8/10
WATCHMEN - 8/10
TAKEN - 7/10
FIRED UP - 7/10
I LOVE YOU, MAN - 7/10
ADVENUTRELAND - 7/10
UNDERWORLD 3 - 6/10
OBSERVE AND REPORT - 6/10
PUSH - 6/10
FAST & FURIOUS - 5/10
FIGHTING - 5/10
CRANK 2 - 4/10
DRAGONBALL EVOLUTION - 4/10
STREET FIGHTER - 4/10

Look out soon for the reviews to: WOLVERINE, STAR TREK, and ANGELS & DEMONS.
The first three big movies of SUMMER 2009.

- Beau

REVOLUTIONARY ROAD

One of the handful of Oscar films on the list to see before the big date of February 22nd. I went in expecting honestly, the alternate sequel to Titanic. The way is played up it's very much what it seemed to be. With the rekindling of Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet it wasn't hard to guess which audience this film was aiming for. I also went into this film hoping to be taken aback by Kate Winslet's performance.

And I was.

Kate Winslet was definitely the highlight of this film. Though I have not seen much of her work (not even Titanic), I wasn't sure what to expect. I heard very good things about her position in this film and she definitely delievered and extremely strong performance.

REVOLUTIONARY ROAD is about a suburban family (husband/Frank - Leo; wife/April - Kate) living in a small town in Connecticut during the late 50's who are struggling with personal problems, raise their children, and trying their hardest to work together and regain their family structure.

I have despised the film Titanic for the sole reason I am in disbelief that it deserves to be #1 of all time on the National and World-Wide box office. A feat that I don't think will ever be beaten. Because of this I developed a hatred for DiCaprio, and a dislike for Winslet, but that has subsided.
Since his work on BLOOD DIAMOND, DEPARTED, and BODY OF LIES I have become a more positive fan of DiCaprio. But his portrayal in this film was shaken at best. He seemed almost uncomfortable and overly dramatic in parts. It could be the fact that he is being over shadowed by Kate's amazing performance but something about his part in this seemed a bit out there. Also, the talent of Michael Shannon can not be forgotten. An astounding performance by mildly veteran actor. Though I have not really seen much of his past work (Bug, WTC) it's hard to compare this compelling performance to his other work.


The story was, a bit over dramatic at points. A definitely developed idea and saddening plot of an even present day problem; the dysfunction of a family structure. It's always a strong subject to write on, and the ordeals that each partner faces in order to keep their sanity to themselves and each other is passionate. From the opening to the end you can feel that things are not quiet what it seems between the couple, and you can't help but hope for a good ending for them.

The old like style of the cinematography definitely gives power to the plot and setting. The way the camera is held throughout on the couple it definitely gives a sort of inner fill of the emotional struggle each deals with, and harsh choices they are making.

Overall, an ok movie. Though I wasn't taken aback from the story or characters, it was definitely Kate Winslet (I felt) that kept this movie going. Leonardo DiCaprio has a soft performance, but I think it could of been done better; because he's done it. If you are a fan of Winslet, or of Oscar worthy actress I'd say watch it. Otherwise, catch it on Netflix, online, tv or whatever.

In the end; 8/10

Next up, Reviews on; CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON, FROST/NIXON, and UNDERWORLD 3

GRAN TORINO

So, I've got some back tracking to do. I'm going to start with films I've seen since the beginning of 2009. So far that's nine titles. I'll do my best to get these out quickly, especially the Oscar titles, being that the Oscars are next Sunday. And; with no further ado...
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It's really hard to call yourself a fan of film without knowing who Clint Eastwood is. These days he's not the rowdy cowboy he use to be, but he still has the uncanny ability to make a film entertaining; albeit the star or the director. And with Gran Torino you get a dose of both.

Clint Eastwood is a man of the screen, he always has been, and even so far into his career he still has that spark that makes you want to see him play.

Gran Torino is about a elderly man named Walter who has just lost his wife, and is realizing that things around him aren't quiet what they use to be. Set in a small Michigan town Walt's once white dominate neighborhood is changing from the incoming crowds of Hmong. One family is that of his nextdoor neighbors Sue and Thao Lor. When a local Hmong gang causes problems around the neighborhood and Walt accidentally becomes the local hero after protecting Thao and his family, and after a failed attempt of stealing Walt's prize possession (1972 Ford Gran Torino), Thao becomes his own personal helper. Walt teaches Thao on how to becoming a better man, while Walt learns to accept the changes in his life.

The film was really well done. A hand full of unknown and brand new actors herald by an acting legend is hard to do, but the young actors Ben Vang (Thao) and Ahney Ver (Sue) are quiet capable of keeping up with the strengths of Eastwood. They displayed some very good skills in an obvious strong essence of Eastwood attire. Eastwood plays his of late disgruntled elderly man trying to get through life, and doesn't miss a beat.

The story was well done, and definitely gives a perspective into a culture that may not be known all to well, and opens up to the levels of horrors that really go on in our everyday world. Powerful scenes, and emotions throughout it delivers on many of levels. The dialogue was very casual, and believe. Though some of the interaction seems a bit out stretched between Sue and Walt. I would thing there would be more agnosticism from Walt, but it helps to speed the story by not growing on Walt's dislike for his neighbors (as much as he already did.)


Cinematography wise seemed very casual and basic. No need for dramatic or overly structured camera angles, or close ups. Very precise and to the point.

Overall, the film was very entertaining. My main draw was Clint Eastwood; as both the director and actor. So if you're a fan of either of his titled works I'd recommend this film. And like I said, it also shows a very rare glimpse of the Hmong culture, which isn't seen to much in film. Definitely gave me some insight to a friend of mines life and family.

In the end I'd give the film a 8.5/10.

WELCOME....

So, I started doing this a few years ago and stopped doing it because I just didn't find the passion for doing it anymore, or the time really...

But now, with so much extra time in my life why not start again.
And what better time than OSCAR SEASON!!!

Generally, I'll review new films I see in theater. I might occasionally throw in a graphic novel, book, CD, or comic but generally this will be a MOVIE REVIEW page.

Enjoy.

- Beau