Alice in Wonderland Review

Rating-***1/2

The original 'Alice in Wonderland' Disney cartoon is one of the weirdest, scariest kids movies out there. So is Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Hey, Tim Burton remade both these movies! Why? I'm not sure. However, they turned out with different results.

Honestly, Burton's Wonka movie is definitely his worst movie. the story is a mess, the script is bad, and Johnny Depp's performance is awful. Thankfully, Alice in Wonderland is different.

First of all, this movie is not a remake. It's a sequel about a grown up Alice who remembers nothing going back to wonderland to save the day again. This is not a bad story, and though it seems like a mess at first, it's ok once you remember how weird and random the original is.

And, unlike Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the script is funny and well written. Also, the acting is actually good!! From both queens to the Cheshire Cat, all the characters are pulled off very well. Even Johnny Depp is fine, actually being a mad hatter instead of Michael Jackson.

Of course, it looks great, but this movie still has flaws. There is no point in seeing it in 3D, unlike Avatar, and the Red Queen's big head is never explained and looks stupid. No explanation is given for the origin of the Jabberwocky, or how the Red Queen got it, and a few other things. Overall, I didn't love "Alice in Wonderland," but I certainly didn't hate it either. Go try it out, but in 2D.

Shutter Island Review

Rating-***1/2

Scorsese first showed the world that he could not only intrigue them but scare the heck out of them when he directed the brilliant Cape Fear in 1991. 19 years later he tries again with Shutter Island. Does he succeed? Yes, for the most part.

For the first two acts, the movie succeeds in every way. It attempts what very few horror/thriller pictures attempt these days: atmosfear. This is an amalgam used by movie buffs to describe a movie that relies on atmosphere to scare you instead of gore and "boo" moments.

The atmospheres of Scorsese's films are very important. In work he works very hard to immerse the audience in the narrative. Like I said, the first two acts succeed at creating an atmosphere of total and complete entrapment. From what we can see, even the weather on Shutter Island is trying to stop DiCaprio from finding the truth.

The dialogue throughout is well written and delivered, and the eerie cinematography works very well. You get an interesting insight into the slipping sanity of the main character, and wonder who people can trust. However, this all stops in the third act. Yes, there is a plot twist. No it's not hard to see coming, and no, it's not incredibly original. Honestly, all the creepiness of the first two acts is kind of destroyed by the twist.

The twist, combined with an unnecessarily long runtime, prevent a good movie from being great. I could go on about "if it was half an hour shorter," or "if the twist was better," but I won't. I really don't know whether or not to reccomend it but I'll say this: Shutter Island is no Cape Fear.

The Wolfman Review

Rating-****

I see many reviews saying that this movie is terribly acted, is very predictable and has a dumb story, among other things. I ask these reviewers: what did you expect from a remake of The Wolfman directed by Joe Johnston (Jumanji!)?

Some critics have said that this movie takes away all the "good things" from the original film and ruin them. I think you need to rewatch the original!! It's unbelievably cheesy, the transformation sequence is stupid, and overall it's just not as good as the other Universal horror classics.

Anyway, lets examine THIS Wolfman. On one hand we get: terrible, cheesy acting by everyone except Hugo Weaving and Emily Blunt, silly dialogue, unnecessary cgi, an overly quick pace, copious amounts of gore, and a dumb plot twist.

On the other hand: we get hilariously awful acting from Benicio Del Toro and Anthony Hopkins, AMAZING werewolf effects, TWO rampages, an awesome Hugo Weaving, a werewolf fight to the death (the highlight of the movie), and COPIOUS AMOUNTS OF GORE!!!

Yes, this movie is movie is, by normal standards, really, really bad. However, I had more fun with it than most of the horror movies that have been coming out lately. It's probably the best horror remake so far. Overall, The Wolfman isn't Oscar worthy, but it's a silly, corny GORY time at the movies. It's a huge amount of fun to watch, so I reccomend it, but stay away if you don't like the gorey stuff.

The Blind Side Review

Rating-****

As I start this review, I'd like to make the point not to say that this movie is "just another sports movie." Because it really isn't. When someone says a movie is "just another sports movie," I expect five things: 1. An underdog team of misfits. 2. A unique coach with some sort of dark troubles, 3. Several slow motion-filled game scenes that prove how the team has risen above what they once were. 4. A slow-to-fast clap sequence, and 5. A member of the team that is in extreme poverty or something and is helped by the coach to rise above it.

"The Blind Side" doesn't really have any of these. It's a very well done and genuinely touching movie about a woman who takes in a homeless young man. It just happens that this young man's outlet becomes football. The story is also more genuine feeling because of its recent actual occurrence.

Be sure, this is not a "white people fix everything" movie like The Last Samurai. We see more how not only does Sandra Bullock save Quinton Aaron, but is at the same time taught by him. All the actors except one (the little boy is supremely annoying) are superb and the direction is great. Yes, the script is unbelievably corny at times, but I've seen worse. Check this one out.

The Princess and The Frog Review

Rating-****1/2

Old Disney movies are great. And in most cases, kinda racist. However I try not to let that get in my way of enjoying them. With this movie, Disney has flaunted the fact that it has their first black princess. I was skeptical, but in the end not dissapointed.

The animation is classic and impressive, the story and characters are good, the racial barriers are crossed, and the music is really cool. The best part however, is the script. I think it's one of the best written Disney movies in a long time. Check this one out.

Drag Me to Hell Review

Rating-*****

FINALLY!! A classic style horror movie that's not a slasher or a remake, and has genuine scary moments! This movie kicks ass!! Sam Raimi should have been doing more movies like this instead of Spider-Man.

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra Review

Rating-**

This movie is silly, and it knows it. But that excuse can only go so far. The silly story is muddled by a terrible script, worse cgi, hammy acting, and the worst villain motivation ever. I say skip it, but if you're really curious, just rent it.