Re: Movie Review
Aeon Flux My Grade: D Plot: 2 I honestly don't really know what the plot was. For most of the first half of the movie I was confused about what exactly was going on and why. I felt like I was missing something. Which is how I felt when watching the Aeon Flux cartoon which was on MTV about 10 years ago. So I guess the movie captured the tone of the cartoon perfectly. Acting: 3 The acting was wooden and unemotional. In that aspect, it was very much like a Star Wars movie. Dialogue: 4 There was a lot of talk about stuff in which I didn't understand. Maybe I'm just dumb, but there was a lot in this movie I just couldn't follow. Character Development: 3 The audience never really got to know anything about any of the characters. Well, except for a couple secrets that were revealed in the end. But until then, there wasn't much character development in the movie. Editing: 2 I just couldn't follow the movie at times, no matter how hard I tried. I blame it on the editing. And the writing. But because there isn't a writing category in this review, I'll put the full blame of it on the editing department. Special Effects: 8 The special effects were well done. And the movie looked great, it had good cinematography. Overall Rating: D The movie was true to the MTV cartoon, from what little I remember of it. It had the same look and feel to it. If you didn't care for the cartoon, you probably won't care for this movie. And even if you did like the cartoon, you probably still won't like this movie. General Comments: The movie may have been a dud and a bore. But at least Charlize Theron looked hot as usual. So I guess the 90 minutes I spent watching the film wasn't a complete loss. :wink:

Re: Movie Review
The Grudge My Grade: B Plot: 8 A horrible crime is committed in the house in Japan. An evil spirit lingers in the house and kills anyone who comes in contact with the house. Even Buffy the Vampire Slayer is no match for the evil spirit. Sure, it's not much of a plot, but it's a horror flick, what do you expect? Acting: 8 For a horror movie, the acting was pretty top-notch. Dialogue: 5 There wasn't a whole lot of dialogue, but at least there wasn't any of the usual lines like "I'll be back in just a second, right after I go check out the strange noises coming from the attic." Character Development: 1 There was like almost zero character development in the movie. Heck, I don't even know why Buffy... er, Sarah Michelle Gellar was in Japan to begin with. Editing: 7 There were times near the beginning of the movie when I wasn't sure if I was watching a flashback or not. Other than that, it was ok. There was hardly any gore, which I liked since I am a little squeamish. And there wasn't a profanity either... which is surprising for a PG-13 movie. Special Effects: 9 The special effects were nicely done. And very creepy. Overall Rating: B While it's not a perfect film, t's pretty dang entertaining. I would definitely watch it again if I stumbled across it while flipping channels. General Comments: This movie is definitely one of the creepiest and most disturbing I've seen. I don't think it's as scary as The Ring, though. But it does have tons of creepy moments.

The Grudge sounds interesting! I love your reviews, Matt. I especially liked this line: There wasn't a whole lot of dialogue, but at least there wasn't any of the usual lines like "I'll be back in just a second, right after I go check out the strange noises coming from the attic." ROFL :lol:

Re: The Ring Two
The Ring 2 My Grade: C Plot: 6 The woman and kid from the first movie move from Seattle to Astoria, Oregon to get away from the creepy girl that crawls out of the tv. But of course, there are television sets even in the sleepy little seaside town of Astoria and the creepy girl once again is up to her usual tricks. Next time maybe the woman and kid should think about moving a little further away. A whopping 500 miles just ain't gonna cut it. Acting: 5 The actors seemed bored and didn't look like they were putting much of an effort into it. Dialogue: 4 The only memorable line in the movie was "I'm not your #$@&% mommy." Characters: 2 For the most part, the characters were all bores. They could all have died and I wouldn't have minded. In fact, the movie would've been better if everyone died a fiery death. Editing: 6 The plotting of the movie at times was painfully slow. The first half dragged. The second half was better. But I was still bored most of the time. This sequel had a totally different feel to it than the original. Something about it just wasn't right. Special Effects: 6 The deer in the movie looked fake. I don't get the need for the scene with the deer, it was stupid. And the weird looking computer generated deer made it all that much worse. As a whole, the effects just weren't as creepy in this movie than in the original. The bathtub scene was pretty cool, though. But that's about the only special effect sequence that stood out. Overall Rating: C I was more bored than frightened during the movie. The original was so much more creepy and disturbing. I remember not being able to get to sleep after watching the first movie. The sequel just didn't live up to original. General Comments: Because of the events that took place in the final scene, I have hope there will not be a third installment. Thank goodness.

X-Men The Last Stand My Grade: B Plot: 8 The story was interesting and believable but some things should have been clarified better and there were departures from the comic books...particularly the actions of Beast. Dialogue: 7 Satisfactory. Nothing stupid but no great lines either. Character Development: 7 Other than Jean/Phoenix transformation, the Bobby/Iceman vs. Pyro confrontation and Mystique and Magneto struggling with being non-mutants, we didn't really get much character development. Of course with so many characters and the plot acton-based, there wasn't much need to see characters grow or find out more about them. I was disappointed in how Beast was mostly just a diplomat. Editing: 9 I really liked the opening flashback that showed us both the friendship between Charles and Eric and the power potential that Jean had. Special Effects: 9 Excellent special effects for the most part. They improved the eye change for Storm and that was really good. The only time the special effects weren't very good was when Phoenix was floating. Overall Rating: B I still like the second movie best. General Comments: I would have like to have seen more done with Angel. Wolverine seems too chipper at the end...especially since he was the one who killed Phoenix. Not that he should have been as depressed as Scott, but he should have been mouring a bit more.

Yay! Brinna's first movie review! It's nice to see someone else's review of a movie I've seen so I can compare our ratings. I hadn't seen the other X-men movies and I don't read the comic books so I couldn't compare this movie to those.

I have read The DaVinci Code but have no plans to see the movie. I got a chuckle from this...words from the movie that you'll never hear in real life: "I have to get to a library fast". :lol: :lol: :lol:They added this quote to the movie, it's not in the book. I have a basic problem with the book and therefore the movie based upon it. If you are doing "historical fiction", you have to get your history right. Dan Brown doesn't. More than half of his "facts" are inaccurate or flat out wrong. For example, a big part of the story involves the Priory of Sion...which years ago was proved to be a fraud. A couple of Frenchmen made it up. There are several books on the market that explain all of the things Dan Brown gets wrong so I won't detail them all here. The concern is that he is basically misinforming all of the people who will read the book (which isn't bad as a thriller) or see the movie and not question his "facts".

I'm going to read The Da Vinci Code this summer and then I'll watch the movie when it comes out.

Brinna, you sometimes take the fun out of stuff. It is a fiction novel, if anyone is going to take what Dan Brown writes about as truth then they are just dumb as dirt to me. I for one am not going to read his books (which I have) and then go to bible study and say, well hey I heard that such and such was what really happened. I would not quote any of the things in his books as fact. I enjoyed reading both Angels and Demons and the DaVinci Code. But I know Brinna and she is the person who would read something and know that something was wrong with the facts presented. I don't know if I'll see the movie, I have heard that it is out of sequence in parts and of course doesn't show alot that is in the book. I agree that it would have been nice to see more of Angel in the X-Men movie, especially since they had his character plastered on the billboard signs around here. I assumed he will have a bigger role in the movie.

I guess your knowledge and interests do color your enjoyment of a film, though. Since I know something about ballroom dancing and crime scene investigation, when I see a movie that doesn't have its facts right, it lowers my appreciation of the movie. Now if it's something that I don't have any expertise in and someone else tells me it's wrong in the movie, I wouldn't be bothered by it. And, like you said Smurfy, I would never make an argument in real life based on what I saw in a movie. I'd have to have facts from a different, more reputable source. Movies are for entertainment and often play free and loose with the facts.

Re: Red Eye
Red Eye My Grade: B Plot: 7 Imagine Snakes On A Plane... but without the snakes. Acting: 8 All the actors were unknowns. But all did a really great job. Dialogue: 6 There were a couple humorous lines. But for the most part the dialogue was pretty much the standard stuff you'll find in a typical suspense movie. Nothing more, nothing less. Characters: 7 The damsal in distress was likeable for the most part, someone worth rooting for. The villian wasn't boring at all, and definitely someone worth rooting against. My favorite character, though, was the desk clerk at the hotel. That character was a hoot. Well, at least I thought so. Editing: 9 The pacing of the movie felt just right. The pacing wasn't too fast and didn't feel rushed, nor did it drag. And I understood everything that was happening, there wasn't a single moment in the movie that I couldn't follow what was happening. For more than half the movie, everything takes place on a plane between just two people. Yet it wasn't boring. Wes Craven did a great job with the movie. Special Effects: 8 There wasn't much special effects in the movie. For the most part everything looked good. The rocket did look a little fake as it was fired, but it's a small nitpit from me. Overall Rating: B I was pleasantly pleased with the movie. Since the movie was from Wes Craven, I was expecting more of a horror movie than a suspense movie. But it was good. Actually, I enjoyed Red Eye a whole lot more than the last plane movie I saw, Flightplan. General Comments: The only complaint I have about the movie is that it was too short. It was less than 90 minutes. Films should always be at least 90 minutes. Even though it was a great movie, I would feel a little ripped off if I paid $8.50 to see a movie in a theater and it lasted less than 90 minutes.

Re: Applauding Brinna
Well said, Brinna. :grin:

Thank you. :grin:

Re: When A Stranger Calls
When A Stranger Calls My Grade: C Plot: 3 A young woman is terrorized by telephone calls while babysitting. Acting: 3 The acting was ok, but not great. None of the actors were very believable in their roles. Dialogue: 2 "Hello? Anyone there?" This pretty much sums up the dialogue highlights of the movie. Characters: 3 I didn't care for any of the characters. The babysitter just wasn't all that likeable. Whether she lived or died, I didn't care. Editing: 3 The movie was slow and moved at a snail's pace for the most part. Instead of a 90 minute film, it should have been a 60 minute episode of The Twilight Zone. The first 15-20 minutes of the film was total filler and didn't really have anything to do with the movie. The worst part, though, was the ending. It just didn't make any sense, I didn't get it. The movie left me thinking "Huh?!? What the heck?!?" And I don't think it was intentional. Special Effects: N/A If there were any special effects to be found in the movie, I didn't notice. Overall Rating: C It wasn't a terrible movie, but it wasn't all that great. It was just plain ok. And it wasn't even all that scary. The movie had potential, but just didn't deliver. It was somewhat entertaining, but could've been so much more. General Comments: I doubt there is a person alive that didn't see the big shocking revelation coming a mile away. Heck, it was even in the previews. :roll: