Super 8

Super 8 tries to be a lot like ET (1982). Somewhere along the way however, it loses its emotional appeal and becomes more of a science fiction thriller.

Joe Lamb (Joel Courtney) is a young boy who is fascinated with building objects. His father has become estranged ever since his mother died and the only thing Joe seems to have for support are his seven other friends (hence the title—Super 8).

I enjoyed the special bond between Joe and his friends, and how they each have their own area of expertise. You see Charles (Riley Griffiths) is hoping to make a movie, and one kid knows a lot about explosives (Cary), one kid is a good engineer (Joe) and another is an awesome actress (Alice), etc. Anyway, their lives are drastically changed when while they’re shooting, they become firsthand witnesses to a train accident. The scene is rather spectacular, exhibiting a domino-effect sequence, as parts of the train explode one by one. The kids discover odd things at the event of the accident and through other eccentric occurrences and their own investigations come to the conclusion that there is an alien terrorizing their town.

What I liked the most about Super 8 were the special effects and the sweetness and innocence of the main characters that unfortunately gets diluted by the action.

So is Super 8 any E.T? I don’t think so.

Stand By Me

I did not do much research before watching Rob Reiner's "Stand by Me." I assumed that since it was about four twelve-year old boys going on a hike across town, it had to be innocent. Boy, was I wrong.
"Stand By Me" is more for adults. Not only because the beginning shows the young gang smoking and gambling, but also because their plan is to hunt for a dead body.
I am not saying that "Stand By Me" is inappropriate-- just that it is something I did not expect.
However, the movie does have some redeeming qualities, like its main characters. You've got the leader Chris (a highly confident River Phoenix), the daring Teddy, the scared Vern (whom I would personally identify with), and the sensitive Gordie. I enjoyed the infallible friendship between the characters: the type that makes you feel nostalgic when the ending credits roll.
Other than having a good cast, the movie has a great song. "Stand By Me" by Ben E. King almost made me cry in the last scene.
Ironically, this movie isn't for kids, but it is kind of about them. For example, it shows how kids SOMEHOW manage to accommodate the most annoying person in their group. When I was in elementary school, my bully was my best friend. It hurt, but I put up with it as though there was no other choice. When I think of it now, there was probably no way I could've handled a girl like that in high school... I guess being young makes you dream more about the impossible.
So should you watch Stand By Me? I think it is sentimental and sweet in its own gritty way, and I really felt for the twenty-six year old Gordie when he says, "I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anyone?"

Tangled

Ahhh, who doesn't love the occasional Disney tale? Tangled fulfilled all the Disney cravings I had, tracing back to the glamor and feisty fun of Little Mermaid, Cinderella and of course, Shrek. Tangled is the story of Repunzel told in an intriguing, funny and charming fashion.

I recommend it for all those that want to fulfill their Disney appetite.

The Black Swan

The Black Swan is one of those really artsy movies you can't help thinking about after watching it. It's very well made, kind of over the top though and a bit scary. Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman) is a professional ballerina. She's very rigid, delicate and involved with her career, actually too involved. In a new play called "The Swan Lake," she's chosen to be the lead by a charming but manipulative director Thomas Leroy (Vincent Casserol). In her role, Nina has to play "The White Swan," a role that she's perfect at. But she not only has to play the White Swan role that shows vulnerability, fragility and meticulous perfection, but also another role, that of the "Black Swan," which is loose and sensual.

Natalie Portman does a very good job in portraying her character as a strained and obsessive artist, desiring perfection. After every single practice, she vomits. And for breakfast she readily eats a grape fruit, and that's it.

Trouble starts when Nina meets another ballerina Lily, who seems to fit the role of the "Black Swan" perfectly. Lily is everything Nina is not: confident, bold and attractive.

Because of her repressed way of life and her secret desire to be free, Nina starts having dark fantasies and hallucinations, several of which include, a "Black Swan" mirror image of herself trying to take over, killing Lily, her feet getting webbed together, her fingers bleeding, etc.

All this mental havoc continues consuming her, until the end, when she reaches her final act....

I feel like her mom has a part to play for Nina's destruction, asking for nothing but perfection from her daughter.

I would recommend this movie if you like thrillers and are looking for a new movie experience. This movie might have connections with real life too: with obsession for an art.

It's like Heath Ledger and the pill overdose: how far are you willing to go to master your art. And is it worth it?

Nina seems to think so.

The Last Airbender

WOW... this movie sucked! It was the WORST. I can't describe how terrible it was. You'd think that in a two hour movie... SOMETHING would have gone right, or at least okay... well, after watching this movie, I realized that it's completely possible to create a laughably bad movie.

I was LAUGHING throughout the movie because it was just that bad.

Why was it bad, you may ask? Well, the acting was bad, the dialogue was flat, and the characters were boring, and their names were mispronounced.

The evil King Ozai might as well be Ozai uncle. He was totally not intimidating!

OH MY GOD...... it was bad.

Season Finale: Lost

I just finished watching the season finale of Lost (Caution: Spoilers ahead).
What I got was a message rather than a plot development.
Before he kicks the bucket, Jack Shephard, the consummate leader of the "Lost" gang, was advised by his father to reach out to those he loves for support (how typical...).
Other than that, some loose ends were tied and the surviving characters got to reconnect with the dead characters before they all journeyed to heaven.
So did I like it? You can say so. The episode had a necessary "finale feel" to it.
It wasn't tear-jerking status though...

Mulholland Drive

I chose to watch Mulholland Dr. because it was on the IMDB top 250 list and in my treasured book, "1001 Movies You Have to See Before You Die." It follows Rita (Laura Harring) and Betty (Naomi Watts), two aspiring actresses in Hollywood.
The plot is REALLY confusing so I am not even going to try to explain it here...
The only thing I can say is that the cops, the voodoo guy hiding behind a coffee shop, the director, the creepy cowboy, the gangster, and basically the whole first one and a half hours of the movie is TRIPPY and CONFUSING.
By the end, no one knows what the reality is. Is Betty real or Diane real? Both are played by Naomi Watts... but who is real? I think that Diane is real (if you watch the movie, you might agree....)
The plot makes me feel frustrated, but I would like to believe there is some significance behind it. The film could be about illusion vs. reality or the craziness of Hollywood.
OVERALL, the only thing I really admired about the movie is its cinematography. Each scene made me feel differently. In the beginning, when a car is driving down a seedy street, it is eerie and ominous. Later on, when Rita and Betty are stepping into a taxi late at night in LA with lights flashing everywhere, it is glamorous and exciting. When Rita and Betty have their love scene (the screen seemed to be covered with a palate of beige), it is romantic. When Adam Kesher (Justin Theroux), a famous director drives to his house and sees his wife cheating on him, the lighting is bright and the scene is funny. Especially when Kesher furiously dabs pink paint all over his wife's jewelry as a comeback...
Therefore, it's careful attention to the camera lens that makes this movie unique and probably worth watching...