The Prestige

Written by:
Jonathan Nolan
Christopher Nolan

Directed by:
Christopher Nolan

Made in:
USA & UK in 2006

Actors:
Hugh Jackman ... Robert Angier
Christian Bale ... Alfred Borden
Michael Caine ... Cutter
Piper Perabo ... Julia McCullough
Rebecca Hall ... Sarah
Scarlett Johansson ... Olivia Wenscombe
Samantha Mahurin ... Jess
David Bowie ... Tesla
Andy Serkis ... Alley
Daniel Davis ... Judge
Jim Piddock ... Prosecutor
Christopher Neame ... Defender
Mark Ryan ... Captain
Roger Rees ... Owens
Jamie Harris ... Sullen Warder

Plot:
A mysterious story of two magicians whose intense rivalry leads them on a life-long battle for supremacy -- full of obsession, deceit and jealousy with dangerous and deadly consequences. From the time that they first met as young magicians on the rise, Robert Angier and Alfred Borden were competitors. However, their friendly competition evolves into a bitter rivalry making them fierce enemies-for-life and consequently jeopardizing the lives of everyone around them. Set against the backdrop of turn-of-the-century London. IMDB

Review:
This movie was unbelievably great. It will have you on the edge of your seat the entire time, trying to figure everything out.

I could easily watch this movie over and over again.

A superb cast, excellent directing, and what can I say.. Two Christian Bales are better than one!

Requiem for a Dream

AKA:
Delusion Over Addiction

Written by:
Hubert Selby Jr.

Directed by:
Darren Aronofsky

Made in:
USA in 2000

Actors:
Ellen Burstyn ... Sara Goldfarb
Jared Leto ... Harry Goldfarb
Jennifer Connelly ... Marion Silver
Marlon Wayans ... Tyrone C. Love
Christopher McDonald ... Tappy Tibbons
Louise Lasser ... Ada
Marcia Jean Kurtz ... Rae
Janet Sarno ... Mrs. Pearlman
Suzanne Shepherd ... Mrs. Scarlini
Joanne Gordon ... Mrs. Ovadia
Charlotte Aronofsky ... Mrs. Miles
Mark Margolis ... Mr. Rabinowitz
Michael Kaycheck ... Donut Cop (as Mike Kaycheck)
Jack O'Connell ... Corn Dog Stand Boss
Chas Mastin ... Lyle Russel

Plot:
Requiem for a Dream exposes four paralleled individuals and their menacing addiction to heroin, cocaine, and diet pills (speed). Taking place in Brooklyn amidst the waning Coney Island, the drugs are very easily obtained and keep each main character in its cycle of dependence. The protagonist Harry Goldfarb is your typical heroin junky with an ambitious plan of "Getting off hard knocks," with help from his cocaine crazed girlfriend Marion and his long time friend Tyrone. Meanwhile his widowed mother is obsessed with the glamor of television and eventually finds her way to a dietitian who pushes her into the cycle of drug induced enslavement. IMDB

Review:
I have a few issues with this movie. I didn't really know what to expect going into it. But I wasn't very impressed by the end. The movie dragged, greatly. It took a very long time for anything to get started with the plot. And the best part of the film was by far the mom and the nemisis refrigerator.

The film was too predictable and not very accurate when it came to the hospital/police stuff. The story with the son wasn't interesting until his arm troubles.

If you are looking for a drug movie, watch Trainspotting instead.

House of the Dead

Written by:
Mark A. Altman
Dan Bates

Directed by:
Uwe Boll

Made in:
Canada, USA & Germany in 2003

Actors:
Jonathan Cherry ... Rudy
Tyron Leitso ... Simon
Clint Howard ... Salish
Ona Grauer ... Alicia
Ellie Cornell ... Jordan Casper
Will Sanderson ... Greg
Enuka Okuma ... Karma
Kira Clavell ... Liberty
Sonya Salomaa ... Cynthia
Michael Eklund ... Hugh
David Palffy ... Castillo
Jürgen Prochnow ... Capt. Victor Kirk (as Jurgen Prochnow)
Steve Byers ... Matt
Erica Durance ... Johanna (as Erica Parker)
Birgit Stein ... Lena

Plot:
This film is a prequel to all of the The House of the Dead video games. Set on an island off the coast, a techno rave party attracts a diverse group of college coeds and a Coast Guard officer. Soon, they discover that their X-laced escapades are to be interrupted by zombies and monsters that attack them on the ground, from the air, and in the sea, ruled by an evil entity in the House of the Dead... IMDB

Review:
Ouch!
What an awful film.
I love zombie movies and I'll accept most anything as a plot. The worse the actors, the better.

This movie is just horrific. I'm not sure what they were thinking. The plot, I can live with. The actors, are bad, but not bad enough to be good. These actors are just stupid. The worst with this film is the directing and the editing. The producer should be shot.

I've given this movie 2 chances .. and it was worse the second time.. :/

Avoid at all costs.

Hot Fuzz

Written by:
Edgar Wright
Simon Pegg

Directed by:
Edgar Wright

Made in:
UK & France in 2007

Actors:
Simon Pegg ... Sergeant Nicholas Angel
Martin Freeman ... Met Sergeant
Bill Nighy ... Metropolitan Chief Inspector Kenneth
Robert Popper ... "Not" Janine
Joe Cornish ... Bob
Chris Waitt ... Dave
Eric Mason ... Bernard Cooper
Billie Whitelaw ... Joyce Cooper
Nick Frost ... PC Danny Butterman
Peter Wight ... Roy Porter
Julia Deakin ... Mary Porter
Tom Strode Walton ... Underage Drinker #1
Troy Woollan ... Underage Drinker #2
Rory Lowings ... Underage Drinker #3
Bill Bailey ... Sergeant Turner

Plot:
Nicholas Angel is the finest cop London has to offer, with an arrest record 400% higher than any other officer on the force. He's so good, he makes everyone else look bad. As a result, Angel's superiors send him to a place where his talents won't be quite so embarrassing - the sleepy and seemingly crime-free village of Sandford. Once there, he is partnered with the well-meaning but overeager police officer Danny Butterman. The son of amiable Police Chief Frank Butterman, Danny is a huge action movie fan and believes his new big-city partner might just be a real-life "bad boy," and his chance to experience the life of gunfights and car chases he so longs for. Angel is quick to dismiss this as childish fantasy and Danny's puppy-like enthusiasm only adds to Angel's growing frustration. However, as a series of grisly accidents rocks the village, Angel is convinced that Sandford is not what it seems and as the intrigue deepens, Danny's dreams of explosive, high-octane, car-chasing, gunfighting, all-out action seem more and more like a reality. It's time for these small-town cops to break out some big-city justice. IMDB

Review:
Fantastic movie!
One of the best comedies that I have ever seen.

If you liked Shaun of the Dead, then you will LOVE this!
(Doesn't that sound like an opening for a Rob Schneider film??)

Hilarious movie with a great plot. We laughed the whole way through the movie. The movie was completely developed and not an empty moment without sarcasm or jokes.

Make sure you see this one!

Primal Fear

Written by:
William Diehl (novel)
Steve Shagan (screenplay)

Directed by:
Gregory Hoblit

Made in:
USA in 1996

Actors:
Richard Gere ... Martin Vail
Laura Linney ... Janet Venable
Edward Norton ... Aaron Stampler
John Mahoney ... John Shaughnessy
Frances McDormand ... Dr. Molly Arrington
Alfre Woodard ... Judge Miriam Shoat
Terry O'Quinn ... Bud Yancy
Andre Braugher ... Tommy Goodman
Steven Bauer ... Joey Pinero
Joe Spano ... Capt. Abel Stenner
Tony Plana ... Martinez
Stanley Anderson ... Archbishop Richard Rushman
Maura Tierney ... Naomi Chance
Jon Seda ... Alex
Reg Rogers ... Jack Connerman (as Reg Rodgers)

Plot:
Courtroom thriller about a slick, hotshot lawyer (Richard Gere) who takes the seemingly unwinnable case of a young altar boy (Edward Norton) accused of murdering an eminent catholic priest. IMDB

Review:
A classic.

If you haven't seen this already, then you need to! I don't want to ruin anything, but it has one of the best endings ever made.

Slugs

Original title:
Slugs, muerte viscosa

AKA:
Slugs (Philippines: English title)
Slugs: The Movie (USA)

Written by:
José Antonio Escrivá
Ron Gantman (screenplay)

Directed by:
Juan Piquer Simón

Made in:
Spain & USA in 1988

Actors:
Michael Garfield ... Mike Brady
Kim Terry ... Kim Brady
Philip MacHale ... Don Palmer
Alicia Moro ... Maureen Watson
Santiago Álvarez ... John Foley
Concha Cuetos ... Maria Palmer
John Battaglia ... Sheriff Reese
Emilio Linder ... David Watson
Kris Mann ... Bobby Talbot
Kari Rose ... Donna Moss
Manuel de Blas ... Mayor Eaton
Andy Alsup ... Officer Dobbs
Frank Braña ... Frank Phillips
Stan Schwartz ... Ron Bell
Juan Maján ... Harold Morris

Plot:
People are dying mysteriously and gruesomely, and nobody has a clue what the cause is. Only health worker Mike Brady has a possible solution, but his theory of killer slugs is laughed at by the authorities. Only when the body count begins to rise and a slug expert from England begins snooping around does it begin to look like Mike had the right idea after all. IMDB

Review:
I'm not sure if this was originally in Italian, but some of the actors are dubbed while others aren't... So, I'm not sure what that is about..

This movie is... it is... a very strange movie.

It starts out well! If you like bad movies, this is the way to go.. the first hour is pretty good: over-acting, an unbelievable plot ... it has everything. And the special effects are actually very decent, though.

But after everyone believes them that killer slugs are taking over the town, like in every other similar movie, the story, action, excitment goes downhill. It is still very easy to make fun of, but we just got a little tired of it.

If you like other movies like it, then I definitely suggest it!

Run, Lola, Run

Original title:
Lola rennt

AKA:
Run, Lola, Run (Australia) (USA)
Lola Runs (USA) (literal English title)

Written by:
Tom Tykwer

Directed by:
Tom Tykwer

Made in:
Germany in 1998

Actors:
Franka Potente ... Lola
Moritz Bleibtreu ... Manni
Herbert Knaup ... Vater
Nina Petri ... Jutta Hansen
Armin Rohde ... Herr Schuster
Joachim Król ... Norbert von Au
Ludger Pistor ... Herr Meier
Suzanne von Borsody ... Frau Jäger
Sebastian Schipper ... Mike
Julia Lindig ... Doris
Lars Rudolph ... Herr Kruse
Andreas Petri ... Sanitäter
Klaus Müller ... Croupier
Utz Krause ... Casino-Manager
Beate Finckh ... Casino-Kassiererin

Plot:
The film explores the events that fate alone controls and displays the constant "what if's" that occur every moment and that can easily change the happenings of the next. The film follows the events between a woman, Lola, and her boyfriend, Mani, who she desperately tries to save from death by helping him obtain a huge amount of money he carelessly lost. It takes you on three different journeys with Lola, all controlled by fate, showing you what would happen in each, and all the "what if's" that provide the foundations for each outcome. IMDB

Review:
Great movie!

I haven't seen that many German movies, but this one is a lot of fun! It definitely keeps you on your toes. A well developed plot, likeable characters, and a bit of an adrenaline boost! :)

I didn't really know what to expect, but it was worth the watch!

Black Christmas

AKA:
Black X-Mas (USA) (promotional abbreviation)

Written by:
Glen Morgan
Roy Moore ´

Directed by:
Glen Morgan

Made in:
Canada & USA in 2006

Actors:
Katie Cassidy ... Kelli Presley
Michelle Trachtenberg ... Melissa Kitt
Mary Elizabeth Winstead ... Heather Fitzgerald
Lacey Chabert ... Dana Mathis
Kristen Cloke ... Leigh Colvin
Andrea Martin ... Ms. MacHenry
Crystal Lowe ... Lauren Hannon
Oliver Hudson ... Kyle
Jessica Harmon ... Megan Helms
Leela Savasta ... Clair Crosby
Kathleen Kole ... Eve Agnew
Karin Konoval ... Billy's Mother
Robert Mann ... Billy Lenz - Age 20/35
Dean Friss ... Agnes Lenz - Age 16/22
Cainan Wiebe ... Billy - Age 5/12

Plot:
A remake of the 1974 horror movie Black Christmas. The movie tells the story about Billy, a young boy who was abused by his mother as a child. While his mother was cheating on Billy's father, she eventually killed his father and kept Billy in the attic - for good, while she was with her lover and starting a "new" family. As Billy's mother fell pregnant with a daughter and treated her with love, which Billy had never experienced with his mother, Billy came out of the attic after years and brutally murdered his mother and her lover. Cut to present day, a group of eight sorority sisters consisting of Kelli (Katie Cassidy), Dana (Lacey Chabert), Lauren (Crystal Lowe), Megan (Jessica Harmon), Claire (Leela Savasta), Heather (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), Megan (Jessica Harmon) and Melissa (Michelle Trachtenberg) and their house mother (Andrea Martin),who now live in Billy's childhood home, find themselves being harassed by threatening and intimidating mystery phone-calls during Christmas Break and as one of the girls goes missing, the girls begin being murdered one by one by no other than Billy... IMDB

Review:
No! No! No! No! No! No!

Bad, bad movie. Very bad.

Silly, stupid, a bad excuse to ruin a perfectly wonderful plot.

The original is a classic, a must-see. This horrible junk should not have been allowed! The plot is slow and dragging, missing some of the best points from the original film (the stupid cop, the missing girl). The special effects were bad (true eyeball size??!!).

The running time is only 1 hour 10 minutes - that doesn't even count as a movie.

The actresses are silly, stupid, and it is impossible to take them seriously. I would not have a problem of a remake of this movie (unlike most many other movies) - but do it well! It has potential to be adapted into now-time movie that could be a good horror/thriller/suspenseful film.

This movie is silly and I got tired of watching it after about 3 minutes. We have the whole history of the killer which is completely left out of the original for a very good reason. Imagination! Not everything needs to be completely explained and clarified within the sitting time.

Just pass this one up.

Pan's Labyrinth

Original title:
Laberinto del fauno, El

AKA:
Pan's Labyrinth (International: English title)
The Labyrinth of the Faun (International: English title) (informal literal title)

Written by:
Guillermo del Toro

Directed by:
Guillermo del Toro

Made in:
Mexico, Spain, & USA in 2006

Actors:
Ivana Baquero ... Ofelia
Sergi López ... Capitán Vidal
Maribel Verdú ... Mercedes
Doug Jones ... Pan/Pale Man
Ariadna Gil ... Carmen Vidal
Álex Angulo ... Dr. Ferreiro
Manolo Solo ... Garcés
César Vea ... Serrano
Roger Casamajor ... Pedro
Ivan Massagué ... El Tarta
Gonzalo Uriarte ... Francés
Eusebio Lázaro ... Padre - Father
Francisco Vidal ... Cura - Priest (as Paco Vidal)
Juanjo Cucalón ... Mayor
Lina Mira ... Mayor's Wife

Plot:
In 1944 fascist Spain, a girl, fascinated with fairy-tales, is sent along with her pregnant mother to live with her new stepfather, a ruthless captain of the Spanish army. During the night, she meets a fairy who takes her to an old faun in the center of the labyrinth. He tells her she's a princess, but must prove her royalty by surviving three gruesome tasks. If she fails, she will never prove herself to be the the true princess and will never see her real father, the king, again. IMDB

Review:
Fantastic movie!

The plot is very strong and lively. I definitely recommend this one. The actors are great, especially the young girl (Dakota Fanning doesn't even come close).

The movie has a little bit of everything: history, creepiness, fantasy, etc..

Worth the money to see!

Serenity

AKA:
Firefly (USA) (working title)
Firefly: The Movie (USA) (working title)

Written by:
Joss Whedon

Directed by:
Joss Whedon

Made in:
USA in 2005

Actors:
Nathan Fillion .... Mal
Gina Torres .... Zoe
Alan Tudyk .... Wash
Morena Baccarin .... Inara
Adam Baldwin .... Jayne
Jewel Staite .... Kaylee
Sean Maher .... Simon
Summer Glau .... River
Ron Glass .... Shepherd Book
Chiwetel Ejiofor .... The Operative
David Krumholtz .... Mr. Universe
Michael Hitchcock .... Dr. Mathias
Sarah Paulson .... Dr. Caron
Yan Feldman .... Mingo
Rafael Feldman .... Fanty

Plot:
River Tam and her brother Simon are hiding out from the totalitarian government that experimented with River's brain aboard the space-freighter Serenity. Captained by a down on his luck, no faith soldier, the crew of Serenity must take jobs (legal or not) while avoiding the Alliance, and keeping the Tams safe. But when things get out of hand with the true extent of River's powers, the Alliance sends a new Operative to make sure what River knows doesn't get out. How will the crew of Serenity deal with this new threat? And what exactly does River know that the Operative is willing to kill for? IMDB

Review:
I was very sceptical of this movie when we rented it. And while we were watching it, I was SO tired that I kept falling asleep.. But in and out of sleep, I was able to see some of the movie, and what I did see - I really liked.

We finally bought it a little while ago, and I got a chance to see the entire movie - and it was fantastic! A mix of The Matrix and Equilibrium. A great plot, great effects, great acting.. everything was perfect.

It was a serious movie, but still had that good, dry humor in it.
Everyone even needs to see it, even for the subtile message of what happens when trying to make a perfect world.

The Ghost

Original title:
Ryeong

AKA:
Dead Friend (International: English title)
The Ghost (International: English title) (Singapore: English title)

Written by:
Tae-kyeong Kim

Directed by:
Tae-kyeong Kim

Made in:
South Korea in 2004

Actors:
Ha-Neul Kim .... Min Ji-won
Sang-mi Nam .... Su-in
Bin .... Eun-seo
Yi Shin .... Mi-kyeong
Hie-ju Jeon .... Yu-jeong
Yun-ji Lee .... Eun-jeong
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ran Choi .... Su-in's mum
Ju-bong Gi .... Detective
Hae-suk Kim .... Ji-won's mum
Grina Park
Jin Ryu .... Park Jun-ho

Plot:
A teenage girl suffering from amnesia discovers that she is somehow connected to a group of people who are being killed off one by one by a vengeful ghost. IMDB


Review:
We bought this with the hope that it would be a decent movie, and it was! It has the typical Asian "scary" objects, like: water, long, black hair, etc...
But for some reason, this over-play of these movie characteristics aren't tiring me. Not like bad teen-movies.

This movie is very confusing. Not with flashbacks, but by plot. And it isn't too bad until the very end, like the last 10 minutes or so - it gets very confusing. If you are confused by the movie ending, e-mail me or check out the Internet Movie Database. But the movie is much easier to understand the second time watching it. So if you watched it once and wasn't convinced, I suggest to see it again!

It wasn't a perfect movie, there are some questions within the plot structure. But all-in-all I think this was an okay film.

Ocean's Twelve

Written by:
George Clayton Johnson
Jack Golden Russell

Directed by:
Steven Soderbergh

Made in:
USA & Australia in 2004

Actors:
Brad Pitt .... Rusty Ryan
Catherine Zeta-Jones .... Isabel Lahiri
George Clooney .... Danny Ocean
Ed Kross .... Bank Officer
Julia Roberts .... Tess Ocean
Don Tiffany .... House Painter
Anne Jacques .... Shop Owner
David Sontag .... Plainclothes Goon #1
Larry Sontag .... Plainclothes Goon #2
Andy Garcia .... Terry Benedict
Casey Affleck .... Virgil Malloy
Dina Connolly .... Virgil's Fiancée
Scott Caan .... Turk Malloy
Nelson Peltz .... Partygoer
Mini Anden .... Supermodel

Plot:
Three years after pulling an impossible heist of a three-casino vault Daniel Ocean's Eleven plus wife Tess have been found and fingered by Terry Benedict. Mr. Benedict has promised the provider of the information to show restraint and give the clan two weeks to repay him with interest to the tune of over $190 million. Without a job that can provide that kind of pay off, the gang must accept the challenge of premier thief Francois Toulour to see who can steal a famous work of art first and claim the title of greatest thief ever. IMDB

Review:
I didn't like this one. Boring, dull, bland, and not exciting in any way whatsoever.

I really enjoyed the first movie and I enjoy it each time I see it. But to me... this movie was very boring and pointless. Not a very exciting movie, and too much Julia Roberts. It drags and it seems like it takes forever for the movie to actually begin. Lots of weird side-story stuff..

I just didn't like it. Maybe I'm grabbing at things to dislike, but there was enough about it or to make me dislike it.

I hadn't planned on ever seeing it, and I wouldn't have if it wasn't on the movie channel and we were bored and had nothing else to watch.

Definately do not go out of your way to see it.