The Hangover

The Hangover. Definitely one of the funniest films I’ve seen this year. Here’s a comedy which will leave laughing when you go out of the theatre. It’s a funny movie. The dialogues are funny and even the movie’s pace is funny. The cast is perfect. Bradley Cooper does a nice performance but Zach Galifianakis steals the show with just being there. Add some funny one liner and some half naked scenes. One scene I loved and will remember will be the “Rain Man” scene as Cooper and Galifianakis come down the escalator. The movie is filled with memorable funny scenes. You’d just have to choose. The movie’s setup is basic. Four friends go out of town and into Vegas. But the characters are played well that really makes The Hangover work. It’s full of surprises as well and mysteries as you try to solve the questions, “What happened last night?” and “Where’s Doug?” As the saying goes, “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.” But for this movie, “What happens in Vegas is our entertainment.” If you loved the trailer, you’ll love this movie. I give it 8.5 out of 10.

Blood: The Last Vampire isn't a great movie but it's entertaining at some point. It really stayed true to its anime roots. The movie had a true anime feel. The plot is intact and it makes sense though it is sometimes lost in the action sequences. Either way, the film showcases a unique blend. A Korean lead, a Japanese villain, a French director, a couple of American cast, shot in Hong Kong but is set in Japan. Quite a mix. The movie is held together nicely. Gianna (My Sassy Girl) does a great performance showing sympathy and strength as being the only Japanese girl in an American base. The effects may not be that great but it delivers. Blood showcases what we've come to expect in anime/Japanese movies...over the top action sequences, fight choreography, and a very nice background and cinematography. I give it 5 out of 10.

The Last Airbender

Check out the trailer for The Avatar,the Last Airbender.Shyamalan does it justice from this trailer.

Transformers Revenge of the Fallen

Bang! Bang! Boo! Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen can be summed up by those words. And the Boo is not a typo. I was really disappointed by the movie. Yes, it brought all the action, explosions and special effects that it was expected to bring. But in all the preparation and planning, they forgot the most important ingredient for a movie, the story. Director Michael Bay brought his A-game for this film but writers Kruger, Kurtzman, and Orci brought the ZZZZZ. I don’t know what happened.Orci and Kurtzman are great writers with Star Trek, the first Transformers and MI: 3 at their belt. But for this movie, they somehow lost their magic touch. The film had a plot similar to cartoon series. It was simple and lack twists and imagination. It was just explosion, running in slow-mo, explosion, short dialogue, explosion, slow-mo, laughter, explosion and a lot of noise.The movie had a lot of errors and plot holes. An example would be the huge Decepticon Devastator which is made up of 5 robots. Three of them being a huge dump truck, a bulldozer and a cement mixer. While Devastator transforms in one scene, three of his parts are in another scene fighting the Autobots and the Nest team. Story detail was not given much attention in this movie. I think they started with the drawing sequences and fight scenes then just tried to fit a plot in all that fuss. Another thing that got me wondering is that there were two parts of the Allspark that remained after it was destroyed. One was used to revive Megatron. Why did Sam have to go through all the trouble of locating the Matrix of Leadership to revive Optimus Prime when he could have easily brought him back with the piece he had. If it made a huge plane like Jetfire come back to life, it would have easily brought back a 10 ton truck. Errors in geography and facts, the list goes on.The movie is just a two and a half hour of metal on metal bumps and a lot of noise. A lot of robots with short dialogues. The human characters were not given the opportunity to show what they could really do. They only served as backups to the bots. At first I was excited to see the fight scenes but ended up feeling sleepy. There was nothing new to see. The movie did have a lot of laughs and funny scenes but nothing was memorable.Michael bay and company really know how to make a summer blockbuster. A movie of action, noise, effects, noise, nonsense characters, and more noise. But forget to put a very good story or side story. I guess that’s how you make the big bucks. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen would probably go down as the most successful worst film. That’s just my opinion.When word came out that T2 was in production, I was really excited. Waiting to catch a glimpse at the first trailer and seeing the new characters. And then I saw the film. I can say that it really, really, really, really disappointed me. It didn’t live up to the hype it created and to its predecessor. It’s a short story told at a long time span with a lot of explosions and loud noise. I give it 3 out of 10.

The Taking of Pelham 123

I'm a fan of Tony Scott's work.And his latest offering delivers.The movie is full of action that takes place in a span of one hour inside a cab of a subway train and in the subway controlling center.Denzel Washington and John Travolta go head to head(or should I say voice to voice) in this hostage and crime drama.Scott did a great job in re imagining the film given that it is a remake of the 1974 movie of the same title.He brought the original beat and aspects of the original film and added his own blend of style and creativity creating a pulsating, and tense hostage drama.The movie has a great ensemble aside from Washington and Travolta.Joh Turturro,James Gandolfini and Luis Guzman brings some added and creative life to this already thrilling film.Scott did a great job with balancing the lighting with the scene as well as camera movement and placement.I really thought this wouldn't be that good given that it's a remake.But I was wrong.The movie stays true to the story and delivers full force with great speed.I give it 7 out of 10.

Drag Me to Hell

Raimi has done it again.Drag Me to Hell is a funny,scary and really,really suspenseful film.Sam Raimi has returned to what he was first known for and he delivered.After hits like the Spider-man franchise,Raimi just wanted to sit back and return to his hobby,comedic-horror flicks.He was first known for his evil dead franchise and he brought back the same aspect of that franchise to this film.The movie has everything.Scary sounds,startling voices and noise,Shock scenes and some nasty goo as well as some funny and unforgettable scenes.Even if the story is like something from a "Tales from Crypt" episode,you would really want to follow what happens to Christine Brown as she faces the curse that would drag her to hell.Drag Me to Hell is anything but a dragging film.It's perfect for couples and it's PG-13 so some younger family members can watch it with the family.The film is one of the best that Raimi has to offer.I really loved the "Vomit scene."Nasty.I highly recommend this film.I'm sure a lot of people will laugh,shout and close there eyes when watching this film.I give it 8.5 out of 10.

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian

The second installment for the "Museum" has a lot of laughs.But the movie has too much characters in it.It's bigger in scale but still lacks a lot.I liked the first movie but the sequel didn't quite do well compared to its predecessor. The plot isn't that great. There are some over the top acting and non sense dialogue. The part I liked in this movie would be the singing cherubs.Still a family film in which kids will have a good time.I give it 4.5 out 10.

Alice in Wonderland character Images

Based on the images,one can say that Tim Burton's Alice will be darker than your usual fairytale.Here you can see Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter,Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen and Anne Hathaway as the White Queen.The movie tells the story of alice as she returns to wonderland ten years later.It is scheduled for release March 2010.

A Third Story....

Definitely one of my favorite animated flicks.Toy Story returns for a third installment.Check out the toy's special teaser trailer.

Bringing online gaming to the next level

Gamer is set in a futuristic world where online gaming has evolved.Where a player can control real live humans doing battles in a real world environment.The movie smells a bit like Death Race only with guns and not cars

A Very Twilight Sequel

For all you Twilight fanatics,the teaser trailer for its sequel debuted at the 2009 MTV Movie Awards.It may be short but I know for you its worth it.

Hurt Locker No. 1

The film has not yet been released internationally but i had the privilege of seeing it.It's a great film and maybe the first film to show a real event that has happened and is happening in Iraq. Check out the trailer above.

Angels and Demons

The film is a much better representation than its predecessor.Angels and Demons portrayed a true suspenseful film with history as its backbone.Director Ron Howard brought a good balance between the book and Hollywood magic.What I like about the film is its 24 style time line.It all happens in a day.The movie is full of surprises(For those who haven't read the book) action and effects.The only downside in the effects department is you can clearly or somewhat see the Sistine Chapel location is clearly computer generated.Tom Hanks still does a good job as Robert Langdon minus the Mohawk hair style.The film is harmless in relation to the Vatican's ban on the film.it can be clearly seen as a man-made story.Howard does a great job in showing the "Vatican" or should I say a studio lot in the US, seem realistic.Another thing i liked about the movie is its score.The score definitely brought another level of life and in some instances fear and suspense to the movie.For fans of the book,don't expect too much since this is an adaptation therefore there may be some changes.For newbies,sit down, and enjoy the mystery of Angels and Demons.I give it a 7.5 out of 10.

Terminator:Salvation

The fourth film in the franchise may as well be the last in the rank in terms of story.Terminator:Salvation has somewhat lost its story-telling ability unlike its predecessors.The movie is like a big budget video game.Yes,its full of action and explosions as expected from a terminator flick but lacks the emotional drama that runs the story of the genre.Bale's John Connor appears more machine than Sam Worthington's Marcus Wright who,in the movie is a machine.Only Moon Bloodgood's character puts human emotion into this robotic film.The movie's plot is just simple.I think they first considered the action sequences than the story.For all you Terminator fans, the story of the war against machines and Skynet's fight to kill John Connor,isn't portrayed well in Salvation.It leaves more questions without the answers.Not even the cameo of the original terminator can help save the storyline.As Arnold once said,"I'll be Back."Please... be back with a story and just a demolition derby movie.I give it a 5 out of 10.

Star Trek

"Space,the final frontier."These are words that are remembered by past generations and will be remembered by future generations to come.Star Trek is definitely a great prequel movie.Director J.J. Abrams has really outdone himself by giving us a great ensemble of talents,great direction,great effects and a great story.Star Trek fans and newbies will love this movie.It has a great blend of excitement,adventure,drama,action and comedy.One of my praise for the film is definitely the cast.They fit perfectly to there original counterparts.I loved seeing Leonard Nemoy as Spock.But what I love most about the movie,being a Trek Fan, is seeing the USS Enterprise take flight on her maiden voyage.Definitely one of the best films of the year.I recommend you see Star Trek.A good thrill-ride for the senses.I give it a 9 out of 10.