Doesn't sound too far off from reality ...

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

***

Raise your hand if you liked Tim Burton's remake of The Planet of the Apes. No one? Really?

I'm not going to lie: When I first heard they were making another Apes movie I had zero (and I mean zero) expectations for it. Oh, and it's a prequel to the worst movie in the series, including the TV-made films which were as well acted as KISS movie?! Fantastic!

However, the film was very rich in how there could possibly be a takeover of the animals in a not-too-distant future if we continue in our current path. Think of a fictitious version of An Inconvenient Truth, with apes.

However, one has to look at it in another way: How else would we test for a cure for horrible diseases without the possibility of making the animal aware that they are being treated as, well, an animal? If this were to happen, wouldn't said animal want to help his fellow "man" out and save them too?

Rise is about Will Rodman (James Franco), a scientist who thinks he has found the cure for Alzheimer's; all he needs is a human subject, like his father, Charles (John Lithgow) to be sure. The apes Rodman is using for testing show the drug he is giving them creates a "disease" that greatly improves the apes skills and recollection, named ALZ-112 . But after a presentation gone horribly wrong, ending in the death of his starred ape, the board says no and they have to start again.

The ape, named Bright Eyes, had a child the other scientists want to save from further testing, so Rodman takes it home and keeps Caesar (played by Andy Serkis, who also play Kong in King Kong), until a proper habitat can be found for him.

However, Rodman takes a liking to the lil guy and keeps him as a pet, routinely taking him to the vet, where Rodman meets his girlfriend, Caroline (Freida Pinto).

Over the years, Rodman notices Caesar is behaving oddly, and has taken on many of the traits that his mother had. After running a few tests, we learn that Caesar has the ALZ-112 disease which he got while in-utero.

From here, the movie takes the approach you are expecting: Caesar suspects he is a "pet" and not really like a friend. After an attack on a neighbor, saving Charles from an Alzheimer's episode, Caesar is put in a habitat and talks to the other apes that the world they are living in is garbage and they should take it back (using a very good analogy I believe Mussolini used), and you know they do.

Director Rupert Wyatt, best known for The Escapist, takes a realistic approach to the Apes world, because the book (yes, I've read all 100 some pages of Pierre Boulle's novel) doesn't explain how everything went down. The later films do explain, somewhat, but nothing is set in stone. Using Alzheimer's was a perfect choice, because, how else would someone become more aware of how bad their situation is if they don't know? When they did, they would probably do whatever they could to make sure it doesn't happen again.

Franco also pulls out a pretty good card as a young, passionate scientist who wants the apes to be back in their habitat and feels that we, as humans, are using them at our expense. But, the acting show stealer was barely in it, he was the the handler in the habitat for the apes: Tom Felton, better known as Draco from the Harry Potter world. That kid is perfect as a cruel, mean, bastardly early 20's guy. I wanted to reach in the screen and smack him.

Rise doesn't try to erase the past films by creating a new start, it give us background to what we know what will happen; what a prequel should do. It was testing that led to their takeover; our testing. We started it and it was them who finished it. It's like the kid you pick on and he finally lashes back at you. Makes sense.

***NOTE***

Yes, I'm aware this is a similar plot to Deep Blue Sea and I would be willing to go out and say it's close to a straight rip off, but it's a good movie, whereas Sea had Sam Jackson being eaten by a shark.

Director: Rupert Wyatt

Written by: Pierre Boulle, Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver

Stars: James Franco, Freida Pinto and John Lithgow

Is this really necessary?

Paranormal Activity was possibly one of the most terrifying films I've seen in years. It was made for a less than The Blair Witch Project budget (some of us didn't believe that, but facts are facts, man) and was filmed in the director's home, using his buddies as the actors.

The basic premise of the first film is: A young couple is terrorized by a demon that Katie, the female, carried on from her childhood. Micah, her boyfriend, plays a lovable yet gullible man who thinks it's hogwash, often teasing her about the demon. He buys a camera and films the house, exposing the demon, making things worse. Thus, the movie.

The second film is a prequel to the first, taking place a few weeks before. Katie's sister has just given birth to a boy and strange things start happening around her and her family's house (which is actually the same house from the first, but with a few modifications and different camera angles). We learn what the demon is after, why it is terrorizing and a few more chills ... In an earlier review I believe I stated "it exists" or It does it's job" and that's it.

NOW ... I knew there would be a part 3 sometime. After the horrible Saw series finally ended (say what you will: Those movies are junk, aside from the first one; part 4 was OK, just watch it again) Hollywood needed another low-budget horror series. After all, the commercials used to say "It isn't Halloween without Saw." Why not pounce on the HUGE (and I mean HUGE) success of the ever-lasting Activity films. Well why not?

I don't disagree with the October release of Paranormal Activity 3 but really, is it needed? We had a nice introduction to the other half and saw that this whole thing was going down since childhood. Do you wanna know, again? Will they keep the same story line, or will they change it up? Remember: In part 2 granny sold the soul of the first born male to the man downstairs for wealth. Watch the trailer for three and let's see what is going to happen. Shit man, money is money, and the last two were gold mines (almost literally).

I felt pretty satisfied after part 2 that I felt I didn't need to see the kids saying "Bloody Mary" in a mirror to invoke the demons. The film will probably change the series from bad to OK, by adding a few hidden elements we didn't notice from the first two. From what I can tell, the film will be based on the sisters as kids being sought after by a famous spirit. Maybe someone will die (parents? Mom? Dad?), but nothing is really certain.

My question is: Do we REALLY care? I don't think so. Just another shock scare here and there and no real story other then what we already know, except slightly elaborated on. Nothing like the first, which, if you recall, you had to vote on to have it played in your area. We did care then, and who wouldn't? That was some trailer! But now it's gone the ways of the Halloween franchise so fast and too soon.

The only thing I can say that makes this film seem like it may work is that it's being made by the two men who brought us the reality horror film Catfish, which I loved very much so. Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman's film was so terrifying and raw. My heart pounded every minute and these two made the film so much more intense and it literally sucked you in to the screen, sitting in the car with them and as they walked up to the barn ...

Hopefully the duo will bring that type of feeling to the third in the series. I have faith they won't throw cheap thrills (unless they have to, obviously), since they held no punches with Catfish. But, the writer is only known for writing television shows and the second film ... So it really is a toss up.

I know the film will make money: It has to. It'll be made for a minimal budget (this crew knows a thing or two about doing things cheap) and there will be enough shocks for an American audience to supply a turnaround. Shit, even if it bombs, they still win. The first made so much money, they could make five more failures with a few million dollar budget and still come out on top.

Let's see what they're made of.

Who is this guy?

Hesher

***1/2

Hesher is that guy you knew would never go anywhere in life. You saw him, looked up to him, even admired him, but you always knew nothing would ever become of him.

Hesher is somewhere in his mid to late 20's. He smokes too much, curses too much and generally is a bad person to be around. He has long greasy hair and tattoos that would make jailhouse ink look like Leonardo da Vinci. And he loves heavy metal, frequently blaring it at full volume. He looks like a murder waiting to happen; you know nothing good is going to come of hanging around him.

But, is he actually hurting your existence by being there?

The film begins with early teenage T.J. (Devin Brochu) chasing a tow truck that's carrying the vehicle his mother was killed in. He eventually makes it to the tow yard and locks himself in the van, but is ripped out of it by local bully and yard worker, Dustin (Brendan Hill) and is forced to go back to his home. There we meet his grief-stricken father, Paul (played intensely by Rainn Wilson) who mainly sits on the couch, occasionally waking up, forced by his mother, Madeline (Piper Laurie), who is trying to keep the family together.

T.J. stops by a soon-to-be apartment complex on the way to school the next morning and starts throwing rocks, smashing one through the squatting home of Hesher (Joeseph Gordon-Levitt), who immediately grabs T.J. and yells at him for ruining his "home". The police show up and Hesher creates a distraction by throwing a home-made stick of dynamite out the broken window, and leaving in his van, which is his other home.

Hesher BBQ

Then, Hesher just shows up at T.J.'s home, mutters "Where's the laundry room?", cleans his clothes and lights a cigarette, not caring for Paul's no smoking in the home rule and sits in his underwear on the couch watching TV. When asked who he is, Hesher just replies "I'm Hesher," in a bland, not happy or sad tone.

Paul and his mother allow Hesher to stay in their home, not because they like him or anything, they just don't care. After all, Hesher doesn't do any harm to the family, nor does any good. He's like a cat: He's just there.

Hesher follows T.J. around: In school, in life, spying on him. Not collecting information, just there. He walks in on T.J. being beaten up by Dustin in the school's bathroom, looks at him, and leaves. Hesher follows T.J. to the supermarket where he sees T.J. admiring cashier Nicole (Natalie Portman), but never shows him how to get a girl, just observes and tells him "It's OK if you want some pussy."

Does he help out the family in the end? Maybe. Kind of ... I guess.

I didn't know what to think of this movie when I first saw it. From the trailer, it looks like it would be a cheesy metal movie (the alternate title is Metalhead) with scenes of destruction while "Ace of Spades" is playing somewhere. It is a metal movie, it does have scenes of destruction (a lot, actually) and, ironically, "Ace of Spades" is played somewhere. But it isn't. It's also a look at what can happen to a family when a tragedy happens. They allow this man to move in with them, not care for their rules, eat their food and do whatever he wants. Somehow, it brings the family closer and makes them realize they need to wake up and go on with their lives.

Hesher is defiantly one of my favorite films of the year. It's an odd tale that makes sense after watching it and see not everything is what it appears to be. Hesher is the guy who would smash a flower pot through your door and cut your nose, but he is the guy who wants to go for walks with your grandmother and listen to her stories while showing her a better way to smoke her "medical cigarettes".

Hesher reminded of a guy I grew up with. No one really liked him: They tolerated him. He did drugs, he looked like hell all the time, but he never hurt your existence by being there. I imagine him now like Hesher: Just there. Did he help me out in any way? Not really, but he didn't harm me either. Last I heard, he got a tattoo of himself on his body.

You won't feel like you've accomplished anything after watching this. You'll just feel like you've seen a movie that you have mixed feelings about. It's well shot, acted and directed; that's about it.

He does no good. He does no bad. He's Hesher.

***NOTE***

According to the urban dictionary, a "hesher" is a "Reebock-wearing, mulleted person in acid-washed jeans and a Judas Priest T-shirt who, at the age of 28, still lives in his/her parents' basement." At least this hesher lives in his van.

Director: Spencer Susser

Writers: Spencer Susser, David Michod and Brian Charles Frank

Stars: Joeseph Gordon-Levitt, Devin Brochu, Rainn Wilson, Natalie Portman and Piper Laurie.

Top ten movies to watch during the summer

Top 10 movies to watch this summer

Yes, it's summer time (close to fall, now that I think of it, booh). And nothing like sitting out on the beach all day, going to the pool and working on your tan OR sitting inside all day and watching movies. Most of you know that I love film. I don't have a degree in it (it's actually in journalism with a minor in English, GO STATE!) but I have loved the art of film since I was a child. Over the years I have acquired a taste of writing, and, hell, why not combine my degree and love and write about movies?

After viewing so many films about seasons, I have come up with a short list of flicks I think everyone should watch this summer. Let's face it: most of us in our mid-20's don't really care to go to the beach or pool everyday or barbecue all the time and usually we're working or sleeping. And on our days off? It's usually the latest movie Red Box has (regardless if we've heard of it) and sitting in our apartments, thinking about how grand life was a few years ago.

These movies I have selected are based on my personal preference. They're not chosen for their art, cinematography, writing, acting or directing. They were picked, well, because they're fun movies and they feel really great to watch when it's too hot to go out, rainy, muggy or if you live in a town where there's nothing to do other then ride a four-wheeler in the mud.

10. Summer School (1987)

Most of us will remember this movie instantly during the opening scene with Freddy Shoop (Mark Harmon) desperately trying to leave the school so he can enjoy his summer with his girlfriend. Others will recognize the huge black student who gets the best score on his English exam even after being stuck in the bathroom for the whole summer. I loved this movie ever since I was a kid and it always brings back great memories when I watch it again and again. In short, this movie is about the crazy antics of students and teachers during, guess where? Summer School! Fun characters, beaches and laughs! Strap on your Cool Dudes and hang ten!

9. Blue Crush (2002)

Hot chicks, rad music (a rap version of Cruel Summer, come on!) and surfing. As a rule of mine: Almost anything with Michelle Rodriguez is gold, throw her in a bikini with Sanoe Lake and Kate Bosworth for 104 minutes and you have yourself a perfect afternoon. Faizon Love also offers his usual "I'm the fat goofy guy" routine to add some laughs. We used to watch this movie in college on a regular basis and I have never gotten tired of it. It's one of those gems you can have in the background during a party with music on the stereo, or just let the movie play: Both jive well.

The majority of this was shot in Hawaii, so enjoy the location!

What else would I be doing?

8. The Beach (2000)

Ahhh ... Leonardo DiCaprio shedding his teen idol skin. You may or may not recall this movie. It was made right after Titanic before Danny Boyle was known for ... Anything. The story is as follows: Richard (DiCaprio) goes to Thailand and gets word there is a private island in the middle of the ocean where people live off the land and party all the time. He goes there with friends, but the island people don't want them there because the island is a huge marijuana farm. The people who own the farm are OK with the island folk, as long as they don't leave or let anyone in, but somehow they allow Richard and company stay. Great soundtrack, great writing, great acting. It's just great! Could do without the sex scenes ...

7. Meatballs (1979)

A summer camp headlined by Bill Murray? Wha wha what!?! This baby has all those adolescent jokes you loved from Murray before he started taking his career more serious. There's love, laughs, hi-jinks and fantastic one liners from boys going through puberty. Think Revenge of the Nerds in summer camp form. According to the commentary, director Ivan Reitman said Murray didn't want to the movie because he thought it was a dumb idea. Good move he did. Skip the sequels, especially the one with Cory Feldman.

6. Friday (1995)

Has it really been 16 years since I first heard "You got knocked THE FUCK OUT!" by Smokey? After Boyz 'N The Hood Ice Cube went back to rapping, specifically focusing on killing whitey and spreading word of Dr. Yakub. When he realized white people didn't care (and for the most part, his black fans didn't either) he decided to try acting out again and at first did some serious roles, but then found his niche: Comedy. Friday is a stoner classic, much like Cheech and Chong were in the 70's and 80's, Smokey and Craig bring a great presence that can be enjoyed year-round, but best enjoyed on a hot summer day, relaxing on the couch with a few buds and some food cooking in the microwave. Made before Chris Tucker was known for Rush Hour and before Ice Cube went family-oriented. The plot? Two pals owe a drug dealer $200 by nightfall on a Friday. If you don't know who John Witherspoon is, you will want to see all of his movies by the end of this.

5. Friday The 13th (1980)

The start of the slasher flicks set in summer was crafted with this bad boy. Teenagers running a camp for kids run off to have sex and smoke doobies while a mentally-challenged boy named Jason Voorhees drowns. Years later, his mamma, Pamela, sets to kill off all the counselors because (if you're a real nerd of these movies, you'll know this) her son tells her to. Yes. Dead Jason speaks to his mom to kill them. God knows how many sequels and spin off's there were, but they're all good fun and have little to no plot.

4. Blue Hawaii (1961)

Oh, shut up! Elvis + hot babes + amazing songs + Hawaii location = The best summer movie ever!

I love Elvis, so pretty much anything with him in it is solid gold and that's that. But, other people will like this too, just for the fun of it. It's one of those movies from back in the day that shows the youngsters having fun while the adults go "Shame shame!" You know, like Footloose but actually cool. So crank it up and jam out!

Fun fact: The Hawaiian shirt was seen as a dorky thing to wear before this movie.

3. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

The Mother of all summer horror flicks, yes, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Not to be confused with the crappy new version with the steroid guy from The Program, this one is pure terror at an extremely low budget. A group of teens going to see their friend's mother's grave are terrorized by a cannibalistic family and A GUY WITH A CHAINSAW WHO WEARS A MASK MADE OF FLESH!!! Who will survive and what will be left of them?

2. Bad Boys (1995)

Probably a lot of you are thinking "Huh? What?!" But sit down and watch this and then tell me it's not great for the summer. Perfect mix of laughs, action and suspense brings Will Smith (back when he was known as The Fresh Prince) and Martin Lawrence (WAAASSSSS UPPPP!!! was his thing in the 90's) playing Miami's best trying to solve a heroin case and look damn cool doing it. It was one of the last cool movies with good action (with no CGI) and quick lines. After this it was ... Hmm ... The Departed maybe? I saw Bad Boys in 5.1 on Blu-ray and I nearly ruined a couch from how awesome it felt. Made when Michael Bay wasn't "Michael Bay". Very low budget (for him) and made a huge profit. See why!

1. Jaws (1975)

For about five years now, I have a ritual every Fourth of July: Get ripped, eat food and watch Jaws. For those who don't know what this movie is, you were clearly born with an extra chromosome. This is the father of all horror films. The one that made you scared to go in the water (or in my case: A bath. Not kidding), terrified to visit the beach or go on a boat. Low budget horror at its finest. Perfectly fine to have during a beach themed party (or if you have a beach house, show this in the background) with music blaring or if you just wanna chill out. Seriously, it's Jaws.

That's it, my friends! I'm sorry if I missed any movies you might think should have been on this list (I'm assuming a lot of you are wondering why Independence Day didn't make the cut; it's number 11). Feel free to add your favorites to this and keep it growing!

The illegitimate child of "Bad Santa"

Bad Teacher

**

At first, I really liked this movie. Cameron Diaz was a delight to watch as a foul-mouthed, booze-swigging, pot-smoking, F-you-attitude-having, gold-digging teacher. Until I realized that this movie mimicked another film about a person kids look up to. Yes, it starred Billy Bob Thornton. AND YES, it was done way better.

Teacher stars Diaz as Elizabeth Halsey: A gold-digging, foul-mouthed, booze-swigging, pot-smoking, F-you-attitude-having teacher who is about to marry the man of her dreams: A rich guy. She quits her job, drives home in her brand new Mercedes-Benz, only to be greeted by her fiance's mother, who is putting an end to Halsey's obvious intentions.

Being forced to go back to work, Halsey gets her old teaching gig (Lord knows why they would hire her back) and sets out to "Find a man who is going to take care of me," she confesses to fellow teacher Lynn Davies (Phyllis Smith). How does she plan to do this again? By getting $10,000 breast implants, of course.

The loss of her engagement has engulfed the school and she is coming up with different ways to say how she dumped him. "I caught him in bed. With another man." and "Did you know I walked in on him about to (expletive) our dog? Yeah, peanut butter all over the place," are my favorites. News hits the gym teacher, Russell Gettis (played by the usual joking Jason Segel), who is quickly shot down.

Then walks in a young, handsome new teacher named Scott Delacorte (Justin Timberlake) who is an heir to a family fortune. He's soft-spoken, kind and odd, but who cares? He's loaded!! Halsey jumps at the chance to woo his heart, only to be thwarted by (the show stealer) Ms. Amy Squirrel (Lucy Punch), who talks much like your second grade teacher who you always wanted to hit with the kickball during recess.

Gettis obviously likes Halsey, but she doesn't care: She's after the rich guy, but, that doesn't stop him from trying Delacorte look like an idiot (the shark discussion is oh-so true). Squirrel is trying to prove that Halsey is a terrible teacher, though she keeps barely missing the mark. It's hard to prove: The kids have taken a liking to Halsey, she is helping them in her own way. One kid in particular, Garrett Tiara (Matthew J. Evans) gets special treatment and looks like a seventh-grade hero during a class trip, possibly winning over the girl of his dreams and Halsey helps out during school functions to raise money (is she embezzling the money, Squirrel tries to prove) and the state test scores are terrific!

As the story progresses, Halsey starts to like Gettis and Delacorte and Squirrel start to like one another. Halsey starts to let her bad girl side slow down and begins to have a heart, even a conscience about the things she is doing. It really is wrong to spit out the cookies a student of yours made and say they suck in front of the class. Maybe we really should start to do things for others, even if it isn't only for our personal benefit.

Does this sound like Bad Santa at all? It should. I thought Teacher was a pretty funny movie with sprinkles of good jokes here and there (the dry humping scene was a screamer and nearly every moment with Squirrel is killer) until I realized how much it was like Bad Santa. If Thornton was in this, I think most people would have asked, "Why isn't this called Bad Santa 2?" Why not? It probably would have worked. Imagine seeing drunk Willie stumbling into a classroom and collapsing over a desk, throwing up in his trash can ...

There are great jokes, good one liners ("Well, that's my spiel, as the Jews say") but it's the same movie Santa was just a few years ago and it really is too early to be reusing a bland plot, or for that matter the name.

Segel does a good job using his usual odd sense of humor that I loved in Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Punch steals the show and has grounded herself as a great comedy actress. Diaz is OK. I haven't seen her playing many roles other than the goofy blond girl who everyone loves. Seeing her drop the F-bomb constantly was different. Not better, just different. Timberlake was perfect as the, "Oh yeah, uhm, cool, yeah" guy (you know what I mean). The main issue is with the story. And that's it.

Teacher ends exactly how you expect it to. There was no surprise there. I wasn't looking for a twist or an exciting turn (perhaps Halsey joins the church?). The film did it's purpose and that's all what I expected.

I wanted to give this a gold star, but it'll have to stay after class and write "I will not steal other people's ideas" on the board 100 times. I know that sounds harsh, but, the film did rip off one of my favorite Christmas comedies.

Director: Jake Kasdan

Writer: Gene Stupnitsky, Lee Eisenberg

Starring: Cameron Diaz, Jason Segel, Justin Timberlake and Lucy Punch.

It all comes to an end

Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: Part 2

***

***NOTE***

Read this if you already know the series; I'm not going to go into detail of it. Just watch them; it's worth the time.

My generation has come to love Harry Potter. He is much like our Luke Skywalker. A rich charter set against the odds, doomed to take down the evil lord. And ever since the early 2000's, we have dreaded the ending to his epic journey. If you've read the books: Good for you. I only saw the movies. I would love to read them sometime, but now I know how they end and it's a little pointless.

Part 2 picks up literally where 1 left off: When Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) has the elder's wand, the most powerful wand, and sets his troops to descend on Hogwarts in pursuit of killing Potter (Daniel Radcliff).

Potter and crew have destroyed a few of the horcruxes and are in pursuit of all of them in order to kill Voldemort.

Will Potter find the last of the horcruxes and destroy them in time? Will good triumph evil? Are there anymore twists? Is it revealed why Snape has given Potter such a hard time over the years? Will Ron and Hermoine finally kiss? What? If? And? But? Who?

The movie ties everything together in a nice package that will leave you satisfied. I had a blast watching this (I saw the 2D version, as I find 3D to be pointless and takes away the story of the film) and will watch it many times again. All of your Potter questions are answered (unless you read the book already or had a rude friend spill the beans years ago. Not naming names, Skyler) and it ends in a realistic manner. As odd as that may sound when talking Harry Potter.

I loved the series. Having seen the first when I was in 11th grade, I literally grew up beside him and it was sad to see it end. But, all good things eventually must. Au revoir, Monsieur Potter.

Oh, and I really hope that idea for a movie about Dumbledore and his gay lover stays just an idea.

**YET ANOTHER NOTE***

I'm actually planning to watch all the Harry Potter films back to back someday. I don't know what I'll name it ... A Pot-ter Off?

Director: David Yates

Writers: Steve Kloves and J.K. Rowling

Starring: Daniel Radcliff, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Ralph Finnes and Alan Rickman.

Soon to come out on DVD, is it worth it?

Honestly, I don't get a chance to see all the movies I want and review them while they're in the theater. Some of the movies I see, I feel, don't really deserve a full review, so I wait until they are about to come out on DVD and do a mini review, to give you a heads up on what to rent, what can be skipped and what movies would be enjoyed over and over again. My personal thoughts on what to do when seeing these to rent are in bold.

I really like doing these, so, without further wait ...

Limitless

This was probably the biggest surprise of the year for me. Bradley Cooper stars as a man who takes a wonder drug that makes him more aware of things, and he uses this for his own personal gain. This calls the attention of many people, rich and powerful in the finance world all the way down to small-time drug dealers. Well acted, written and directed; you'll want to have your own copy to show to your friends during parties and to watch whenever. Buy it.

Priest

As a rule of mine, I don't like to review movies which I don't know anything about the original source. I saw this on a whim and didn't like it at all. I found it boring and hard to follow (due to boringness). Maybe if I was a follower of the comic book I might have an appreciation for it, which is why I didn't review it immediately. Watch it on TV during a marathon with Underworld.

Sucker Punch

Zack Snyder does a good job of bringing together the directing/cinematography style of his last two hits 300 and The Watchmen to make an interesting tale of escapism in the insane asylum. Very special effects heavy with a lot of action scenes. Worth renting.

Take Me Home Tonight

Funny, but cliched tale about the 80's starring Topher Grace and that fat guy from Balls of Fury. Many funny moments, but the films does drag in bits and has a rather "pull yourself up by the boot straps" theme. It also relies on making the fat guy be an asshole to everyone, but in an 80's go go way to get laughs. Tonight is fun to watch during a theme night at a friends house, so renting it wouldn't be that crazy.

Paul

Funny and cleverly written tale about two Brits (the guys from Shaun of the Dead) going across the USA to see all the nerdy/dorky stuff and run into an actual alien (voiced by Seth Rogen). A lot of good laughs and jokes throughout and plenty of movie references for losers like me to enjoy. I say buy it if you like the dorky/nerd references in movies or rent it if you just want a good night.

Just go With it

Really lame version of a good movie. Sandler tries to impress hotties by saying he's an abused married man, turns out he falls for one who flips out at his marriage, so he pretends to be getting a divorce from his "wife" played by his secretary at his plastic surgery office, Jennifer Aniston. Yeah, you can guess what happens: Dave Matthews puts a coconut up his gay butt. Don't bother.

The Dilemma

Really was worth the time to watch. Channing Tatum does a great comedic job and I would love to see him in more roles like this. The commercial says it all, but it does a more serious look at why couples cheat and who really is to blame in said situations. For once, Vince Vaughn isn't the only funny person. Rent it.

The Roommate

Updated version of Single White Female. If you don't know what that was, see that and skip this. Don't bother.

Easy A

Well written and acted comedy about high school, rumors and love. Emma Stone (the hot redhead that's not Lindsay Lohan) stars as a girl who gets money/gifts off of students by allowing them to tell people they had sex with her ... Until it gets out of hand. Very funny and enjoyable. Buy it.

No Strings Attached

A surprise, to say the least. As the title suggests, the film is about two people who just have sex without getting attached to one another. Ashton Kutcher is hilarious and adorable, without being overly adorable and Ludacris kills the movie with his one liners. I say one of his most memorable lines all the time. Rent it and you'll probably do the same thing.

Sanctum

Beautifully shot and designed but has no actual story line or characters you'll care about. I loved it until I sat down and thought about what I had watched. Did I care if everyone died? Nope. And I'm pretty sure one characters voice changes half way through. Skip it.

Charlie St. Cloud

Starts out dynamite with a stellar performance by Zac Efron. Believable and touching tale about about a young man (supposed to be 23 to 24 years old, yeah, I think Efron is that age) who misses his younger bro who died in an accident in a car driven by Efron. Movie is great until 3/4 of the way and it turns into a Scooby-Doo episode. Rent it if you're in a mood to impress your girlfriend and don't mind the ending being terrible. Or just don't bother.

The Mechanic

Impressive reboot of the Charles Bronson cheese classic. Jason Statham (I really don't like his American movies, so this is saying a lot) is a hired hit man who trains the son of the guy Statham just killed, who happened to be one of the top assassins. Enjoyable, fast paced and plain cool. Buy it.

Source Code

Interesting, confusing, touching, well written and acted. I really don't want to say much more because it's one of those movies you should rent to experience and not be spoiled.

Well, that's it for now! I hope you enjoyed reading these and will keep them in mind when looking for a movie to watch!