V for Vendetta Review

This movie was worth seeing in the theaters. The story seemed pretty original to me and it didn't seem like a Wachowski brothers screenplay. I think they did a good job to stay away from their Matrix series. The emphasis of the movie was more on literature, history and tactics to control mass populations. V speaks in a formal and sophisticated way that could be comical at times, but it holds your interest and makes the character more impressive and feared. He's one of those cool and calculating fighters that does everything better than the rest. As the mystery unravels, V launches his vendetta, which leads to some great action scenes but even greater dialogue. Some of the lines that V has are so brief, unmerciful and to the point that you can't help but admire him. From the very start of the movie, the plot is compared to the Guy Fawkes (hence the mask) Gunpowder plot from the early 1600s and various books and movies such as Macbeth and The Count of Monte Cristo. In the end, there are some interesting messages about ideals and government that relate to today's current events. The only negative was that the movie does run 2 hours and 11 minutes and it doesn't feel any shorter than that. It was totally worth it though.

V for Vendetta = Go See It

The Great Raid Review (DVD)

This is a World War II story that may not be well known, but it was definitely worth making the movie. The Great Raid starts kind of slow with a lot of backstory and explanation of the prisoners, the underground, the captors and the soldiers of the great raid. This does payoff later in a very good ending for this movie. Something about the movie seemed very realistic in terms of the events and the characters. There were a couple of Hollywood moments that made me question if that is what really happened, but for the most-part the movie seemed believable. Benjamin Bratt was very good and young James Franco (aka Green Goblin II) was also better than I expected. Besides some slow moments in the middle of the movie, there isn't too much that I didn't enjoy. Sure, you could just read a history book about the Great Raid, but the action scenes made the movie worth it.

The Great Raid = Great Rental

The Brothers Grimm Review (DVD)

The Brothers Grimm is a clever story about the fable-writing duo and their adventures in a town where girls have gone missing. The look and feel of this movie isn't bad, but the story is a little confusing and it didn't hold my interest that much. Throughout the movie there are neat little references or inspirations for many of the Grimm stories. There isn't much to say about Brothers Grimm and its probably better suited for children as a scary campfire story. I just couldn't get into it.

The Brothers Grimm = Below Average Rental

Good Night and Good Luck Review (DVD)

Maybe I didn't give this movie a fair shake, but I did fall asleep towards the end. Good Night and Good Luck has a good message about standing up against powerful people, but it is a little hard to watch. The funny thing is that the movie is rated PG but anyone who didn't live through the McCarthy era shouldn't be allowed to see it. The subject matter is more geared towards a PBS documentary rather than the big screen. I'm not exactly sure why the critics liked the movie so much.

Good Night and Good Luck = Skip the rental and just read an article about it.

Crash Review (DVD)

Somehow this movie pulled off the upset and the Academy Award for Best Picture. It was a pretty good movie and I really can't compare it to the other nominees except for Munich (Walk the Line should have been nominated instead of Munich). Crash seemed to be similar to PT Anderson's Magnolia with all of the different intersecting characters that come together in the end, but it wasn't as offbeat. I bet the Academy liked the social commentary and message for change that Crash presented. The overall cast is very good and I thought Ludacris did a good job as did Matt Dillon. Crash is a pretty good movie, but I'm not sure it lives up to the Best Picture hype that it will start getting. The storyline is fairly intricate and the way the story unfolds is well done. The messages in the movie are told in a subtle fashion and it makes you think about how hate breeds hate. Crash does make you want to make changes in yourself and it shows how all of the human interactions we go through every day can make a big difference.

Crash = Above average rental

Broken Flowers Review (DVD)

This movie is slow, but very subtle. Somehow it held my interest and the ending makes you think that you've missed something. Bill Murray reminds me of when he was in Lost in Translation. In both movies his acting is very subtle and he doesn't have many lines. I didn't think the humor in Broken Flowers was as good as Lost in Translation, but Broken Flowers does have more interesting characters in it. The process of searching for answers in this film does keep the audience interested, but it is more of an artistic movie, so its not going to have mass appeal. Overall I did enjoy the movie, but I wouldn't want to watch it again.

Broken Flowers = Worthwhile rental, but there's no need to rush out and get it.