AFTER I WATCH A MOVIE OR SOMETHING ON TV , I RUN TO MY COMPUTER AND WRITE DOWN THE STORY....
I DO NOT CRITIQUE THE CINEMA , ONLY TELL YOU ABOUT IT BECAUSE , TO EACH ITS OWN
Released February 19th in the US. Filmed in California. The story: Three best friends kidnap another one of their best buds on her birthday for a huge surprise. Unfortunately, the girls' prank goes bad and ends with their buds' death. The girls see no other option than to keep the death a secret. But keeping the secret becomes a task when there is a witness. The three friends recruit the help of an unpopular girl due to her knowledge about their secret. Stars Tatyana Ali , Julie Benz , Chad Christ , Ethan Erickson , Rebecca Gayheart , Alexandra Adi , Judy Greer , Rose McGowan , Charlotte Roldan , Ann Russo , P.J. Soles , Tommy McKay , Rick Lindland , Pam Grier , Carol Kane Directed by ( & story written) Darren Stein Rated R MYSTERY/DARK COMEDY
Released in many film festivals in the US, starting in June of 2005. Filmed entirely in Germany. The story: Phillip is a very unpopular high school student who wants nothing more than to hook up with the most popular girl at school. He turns to the help of a girl he grew up with, who invites him and his friends to a nighttime ritual in a graveyard to try a spell of love. On their way home from the ritual, which they never believe worked, the three friends find themselves in a fatal accident. Now the three are undead and once again need the help of Phillip's childhood friend to save their lives. Stars Tino Mewes , Manuel Cortez , Thomas Schmieder , Collien Fernandes , Hendrik Borgmann , Nadine Germann , Sissi Perlinger , Henry Gründler , Patricia Thielemann , Oliver Grober , Tom Lass , Tim Wilde , Daniel Krauss , Sebastian Kroehnert Directed by ( & story written)Mathias Dinter Not Rated COMEDY/SCIFI
Released January 15th in the US. Filmed in Wisconsin and Canada. The story: Darcy and Stan are two bright high school sweethearts with promising futures. But things take a scary turn for the two when Darcy becomes with child. Now the couple begins rushing into things without knowing for certain that their choices are the ones they actually should be making. Stars Molly Ringwald , Randall Batinkoff , Kenneth Mars , Conchata Ferrell , Miriam Flynn , Sharon Brown , John Zarchen , Pauly Shore , Michelle Downey , Jaclyn Bernstein , Matthew Licht , Renée Estevez , Darcy DeMoss Directed by John G. Avildsen Rated PG13 DRAMA
This is based on the true story of the Mitchell brothers. Released May 13th in the US. Made for Showtime. Filmed entirely in Canada. The story: As children, brothers Artie and Jimmy had the thought put in there head by there father that they should always be there for one another, no matter the cost. As young adults, this philosophy stays true as the two begin producing pornographic films and marketing them in their own theater in San Francisco, as a way for them to make a living. All the while, being caught up more and more by their over-the-top habits. After dealing with many legalities, the two change their porno career into the owning and running of a strip club. But when one of the brothers cannot take the others' bad habits and self-destructive ways any longer, he sees only one way to end his terrible, vengeful state. Stars Emilio Estevez , Charlie Sheen , Terry O'Quinn , Nicole de Boer , Dylan McFadyen , Eric Cabral , Peter Bogdanovich , Rafer Weigel , Megan Ward , Danielle Brett , Tracy Hutson Directed by Emilio Estevez R BIOGRAPHY/DRAMA/HISTORY
Released March 6th in the US. Filmed in Canada and Illinois. The story: Aidan Breslin is a widower who is completely overworked. He has two sons who seen to lose their family time all the time with their dad due to a major sadistic case he is working on. When Aidan begins to crack down on his case and thinks things will begin to get slower for him so he can spend time with his sons, he finds that the case has taken an unsuspected turn in another direction that will cost him more time away from his family. Stars Dennis Quaid , Lou Taylor Pucci , Liam James , Ziyi Zhang , Clifton Collins Jr. , Patrick Fugit , Barry Shabaka Henley , Eric Balfour , Paul Dooley , Thomas Mitchell , Chelcie Ross , Manfred Maretzki , Arne MacPherson , David Dastmalchian Directed by Jonas Åkerlund Rated R THRILLER/MYSTERY
Released August 15th in the US. Filmed in Romania, California and New York. The story: Ben Carson is a recently retired police officer and family man who has just taken the job as a night watchman at a very large, rundown department store which has seen better days. Right off the bat, Ben experiences some extremely strange things while on duty. These strange things bother him enough to begin to try and find out what the hell is actually going on, instead of just getting another job. After not too long, not only are these strange occurrences getting in his head, but they are also affecting his loved ones. Stars Ezra Buzzington , Kiefer Sutherland , John Shrapnel , Jason Flemyng , Tim Ahern , Julian Glover , Josh Cole , Paula Patton , Cameron Boyce , Erica Gluck , Amy Smart , Mary Beth Peil Directed by Alexandre Aja Rated R SCIFI/MYSTERY/HORROR
Released November 1st of 2007 in the US. Filmed entirely in Poland. The story: Two couples find themselves at what they think is an inn or bed and breakfast of sorts due to some unlikely car trouble. After meeting the keepers of the place, the two couples learn very quickly that all the skeletons they have in their closets are now possibly going to be the death of them. Stars Michael Madsen , Reynaldo Rosales , Heidi Dippold , Julie Ann Emery , J.P. Davis , Lew Temple , Leslie Easterbrook , Bill Moseley , Pawel Delag , Weronika Rosati , Allana Bale , Andrew Gorzen , Florentyna Synowiecka , Mark Fierer Directed by Robby Henson Rated R SCIFI/HORROR
This film is based on true events. Released March 27th in the US. Filmed in Canada. The story: Sara Campbell is a married mother of three who is determined to get the help needed for her ailing eldest son. She goes ahead and rents a house in Connecticut to be close to the hospital where her beloved son is receiving treatment. Almost immediately, her sick son begins experiencing some really strange things in the house. The house seems to be concentrating on him due to the fact that he is very very ill. Stars Virginia Madsen , Kyle Gallner , Martin Donovan , Ty Wood , Amanda Crew , Sophi Knight , Erik J. Berg , D.W. Brown , John B. Lowe , Adriana O'Neil , James Durham , Elias Koteas , John Bluethner , Will Woytowich , Darren Ross Directed by Peter Cornwell Rated PG13 HORROR/SCIFI/THRILLER
Released January 30th in the US. Filmed entirely in Canada. The story: Anna is a young woman who has been living in a mental institution for quite some time as a result of trying to commit suicide and being suicidal. As she returns home, she finds that her widower father has shacked up with her deceased mothers' former caregiver. Problems arise for Anna when she begins imagining things but believes all of it is actually how she is picturing. Stars Emily Browning , Arielle Kebbel , Jesse Moss , Dean Paul Gibson , Don S. Davis , Heather Doerksen , David Strathairn , Elizabeth Banks , Maya Massar , Kevin McNulty Directed by Charles Guard & Thomas Guard Rated PG13 MYSTERY/THRILLER/HORROR
Released in June sometime in 1983.
Filmed entirely in Jamaica.
The story: Anne is a mother, a divorcee, and a college graduate living at a resort where she works as the driving instructor.
She runs into a snag when while one of her diving classes goes a rye and a student is brutally mangled.
One of Anne's students works along her side to try and find out what exactly is going on here.
What they find is almost unstoppable.
Stars Tricia O'Neil , Ricky Paull Goldin ,Lance Henriksen , Ted Richert , Steve Marachuk , Leslie Graves , Carole Davis , Connie Lynn Hadden , Arnie Ross , Tracey Berg , Albert Sanders , Anne Pollack , Hildy Magnasun , Phil Colby
Directed by James Cameron & Ovidio G. Assonitis
Rated R
SEQUEL/HORROR/MYSTERY/SCIFI
Released August 3rd in the US. Filmed in Texas. The Story: A couple of young hikers hiking in the mountains along Lost River happen upon a no trespassing area, so they trespass. They find a very large unlit swimming pool and decide its a good way to get cleaned up and have a little illegal fun. While swimming, the two are eaten alive by...oh gee I don't know, what else could be in there but piranhas??? Now a private investigator is hired to find the two hikers or at least find out what happened to them. While doing so, she does something so horrible without realizing she has done it until it is too late. Now any person that so much as dips their toes the river is now in great danger. Stars Heather Menzies , Bradford Dillman , Kevin McCarthy , Keenan Wynn , Barbara Steele , Dick Miller , Belinda Balaski , Bruce Gordon , Barry Brown , Melody Thomas Scott , Paul Bartel , Barry Brown , Shannon Collins , Shawn Nelson ,Richard Deacon Directed by Joe Dante Rated R HORROR/SCIFI/DARK COMEDY
Released January 9th in the US.
Filmed entirely in Michigan.
The story: Walt is a retired vet who has just lost his beloved wife.
It seems Walt likes things done right and has little patience for selfish, needy people - on top of being extremely racist and prejudice.
By chance, Walt befriends a Hmong family who has recently taken up residence next door to him.
He finds that it is up to him to help them live a peaceful life at their new home like they deserve.
Stars Clint Eastwood , Brian Haley , Geraldine Hughes , Dreama Walker , Brian Howe , John Carroll Lynch , Christopher Carley , William Hill , Bee Vang , Ahney Her , Brooke Chia Thao , Chee Thao , Choua Kue , Xia Soua Chang
Directed by (& story written) Clint Eastwood
Rated R
DRAMA/DARK HUMOR
This is how I look back and remember Summer blockbusters from my youth; tons of flash with little substance to get in the way! This movie definitely harkens back to those days. On the level of a "Popcorn Movie", G.I. Joe totally fits the bill. Tons of big explosions, chase scenes, bullets, sword fights, over-the-top characters, and shallow plot lines. As long as you go into this film with the expectations of nothing more than a fireball-filled romp and tons of ludicrous action you'll definitely enjoy yourself. The 80's geek in me winced in pain in more than a few spots. Major liberties were taken with the character's backstories, but I do understand that a lot of that kind of thing has to be done to satisfy a mass audience. I'm glad I didn't go into this movie expecting too much, as I originally feared I would. I think, on the whole, this flick played a teetering balancing act with me, pitting the stuff that wowed me and made me cheer inside against the stuff that made me cringe and caused the kid in me to shout in protest. In the end, I kind of liked this film, even with all the things that i found to grouse about. All in all, not a bad little action flick.
Released August 7th, 2009 The story: An elite Counter-terrorist unit codenamed G.I. Joe attempts to foil the plot of a megalomaniacal arms dealer, who plots to gain supreme world domination by inducing global panic at the destructive force of his advanced Nanotech weaponry. The team of heroes infiltrates the terrorist's stronghold in the hopes of disabling the weapons of mass destruction while saving one of their own who was captured by the enemy.
Stars Christopher Eccleston, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Byung-hun Lee, Sienna Miller, Rachel Nichols, Ray Park, Dennis Quaid, Channing Tatum, Marlon Wayans, Arnold Vosloo Directed by Stephen Sommers Rated PG-13 ACTION
Made for HBO, airing August 22, 1998, in the US. Filmed in California. The story: Frank and the boys lived a charmed lifestyle, mixing entertainment, politics, and the Mafia, in the social scene of the 1960s. But not even the cream of the entertainment crop can last forever. Sinatra pushes for John F. Kennedy to become president, but gets caught up in the political game, as it pushes his limits. Stars Ray Liotta, Joe Montegna, Don Cheadle, Angus Macfadyen, William Petersen, Bobby Slayton Directed by Rob Cohen Rated R DRAMA/HISTORY/BIOGRAPHY
Released September 14th in the US. Filming location(s) unknown. The story: Maggie Walsh is an architect/interior decorator who takes a job in England, which she gets a 50 thousand dollar advance on. She convinces her boyfriend to take a trip before she is due there to check out the area and have a little holiday. But while there, the two are involved in a motorcycle accident and find themselves so-called prisoners at their rescuers' mansion. Things go sour quick when other guests arrive at the mansion and they begin dying one by one. Maggies convinced there is some sort of black magic going on around them all. Stars Katharine Ross , Sam Elliott , John Standing , Ian Hogg , Margaret Tyzack , Charles Gray , Lee Montague , Hildegarde Neil , Marianne Broome , Roger Daltrey , William Abney , Patsy Smart , Mathias Kilroy Directed by Richard Marquand Rated R THRILLER/MYSTERY/SCIFI/HORROR
This was shown and made for the Discovery channel sometime in 2002. Filming location(s) unknown, but I hope it was Connecticut! The story: A Married couple with their 4 children take up residency in what seems to be a dream house in Connecticut. They took the house based on the fact that their oldest son is very ill and needs to be as close as possible to the hospital where he is being treated. But soon after living in this house, the children begin experiencing some really scary and strange events, that they clearly blame on the house. Their parents are in denial of what is going on until they find that their whole world involving their house and everyone in it is being tormented and scared out of their witts. Stars Vanessa Lock , Rod Pearson , Brett Fleisher , Tyler Reid , Lee Lively , Jim McKeny , Kelli Barrett , Maggie Geroe , Ralph Denton Sr. , Jenny Gordon , Anthony Call , Shirley Vaughn , John Zaffis , John West , Noah Fryrear , Rick Hite , Raymond Smith , Lorraine Warren Directed by John Kavanaugh Not Rated DOCUMENTARY
I really liked this installment of the Harry Potter saga, other than its 3 hour length. The story has a real solid focus on the importance of the mission here, and the sense of danger was well displayed. the acting has gotten considerably better over the years and i found myself genuinely impressed with some of the actors that I had seen in this franchise for so long. The seriousness was offset by mildly humorous romantic subplots, and I thought the whole thing was very well balanced. My only gripe was the deep cuts made to the mystery of the identity of the Half Blood Prince...guys I know the movie was too long to begin with, but c'mon its the title of the movie! Can't we find a little more space to develop that line a little more?! Anyhow, that aside, I had a really good time with this one and it was one of the few movies that didn't disappoint me this Summer.
Released July 15th, 2009 The story : Harry is given a lesson in the history of Tom Riddle and animportant mission by professor Dumbledore that may very well the key ingredient in the formula to defeat Lord Voldemort, all while defending himself and his friends from increasingly frequent attacks by the Dark Lord's minions.
Stars Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Richard Harris, Robbie Coltrane, Alan Rickman,and Ralph Fiennes Directed by David Yates Based on the novel by J.K. Rowling Rated PG Fantasy/Drama
This was my LEAST favorite of all the books, and the film was no exception...I didn't care for Harry's attitude through this one...although it does certainly fit the attitude of a teenager. I just found this film really slow compares to previous installments, especially right after Goblet of Fire. this one was another that felt like filler to me and it really bogged it down. I really was annoyed by some of the new characters and some of the older ones were kind of getting on my nerves too. There were some interesting points in this and some very memorable and moving scenes, but on the whole i just found this to be so much weaker than the previous installments. Released July 11th 2007 The story : His story come into question, Harry seeks to prove that Lord Voldemort has returned and free Hogwarts from the bureaucratic grip of the Ministry of Magic, while ensuring that he and others are ready to defend themselves from the Dark Lord and his minions.
Stars Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Richard Harris, Robbie Coltrane, Alan Rickman, Gary Oldman, and Ralph Fiennes Directed by David Yates Based on the novel by J.K. Rowling Rated PG FANTASY/DRAMA
Okay, now we're talkin! This was my favorite Harry Potter book, so it's no surprise that it was my favorite of the film series too. It was very action-oriented and had replaced the whimsical feel of the first movie with more of a wow factor and an adventure feel. This film is also where the mood of the series turns on a dime and becomes deadly serious and you realize that there's real danger for the characters from this point on. That it isn't going to be so cheery from here on out. The films, like the books, seemed to grow with the viewer steadily and this was, in a sense, the story's step into adulthood... Definitely the most engrossing of all the Potter films so far. Released November 18th 2005
The story : Harry somehow is entered into a magician's contest known as The Tri-Wizard Tournament...dangerous tests of his cunning, knowledge, and skills, as well as the reemergence of his greatest enemy, will push Harry and his comrades to the limits of their very existence.
Stars Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Richard Harris, Robbie Coltrane, Alan Rickman, Gary Oldman, and Ralph Fiennes Directed by Mike Newell Based on the novel by J.K. Rowling Rated PG
