Hit – and my pick for Best Picture 2010 – Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, Marion Cotillard, Ken Watanabe, Tom Hardy, Dileep Rao, Cillian Murphy, Tom Berenger, Michael Caine

Directed and written by: Christopher Nolan

Synopsis courtesy of IMDB: In a world where technology exists to enter the human mind through dream invasion, a single idea within one’s mind can be the most dangerous weapon or the most valuable asset.

This is an amazing film. I don’t want to say too much because the beauty of this film is figuring it out as you are watching it. Therefore, I just want to say that you need to see this film now and you need to see it in theatres – preferably IMAX.

Currently it ranks #3 on the IMDB top #250 films list. This is a well earned spot and I know you will think so when you see the film.

Bottom Line: Don’t waste another minute – see this movie TONIGHT!

For a more in-depth review of the film AFTER seeing it – check out the review posted by my friend at Squaremans.com

Science Fiction

Rated PG-13 for sequences of violence and action throughout.

Running Time: 2 hours 28 minutes

Miss – Starring Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, Kevin James, Rob Schneider, David Spade

Five friends reunite during the Fourth of July weekend when they receive news that their former basketball coach has passed away.

I am going to make this review short and to the point… the best parts of the film were seen in the previews. There is nothing additionally funny or interesting that happens in the film.

Bottom Line: Even teenagers will dislike this film. Skip it and don’t even bother to add it when it becomes a Netflix add instantly selection.

Comedy

Rated PG-13 for crude material including suggestive references, language and some male rear nudity.

Running Time: 1 hour 42 minutes

Hit – Starring the voices of Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Ned Beatty

After Andy leaves for college, Woody, Buzz, and the rest of their toy box friends are donated to a day-care center. Now they must figure out how to escape and make it back to Andy’s house.

Before reviewing this film, let’s also look at the synopsis for the previous films.

Toy Story: Woody and Buzz are captured by Andy’s neighbor Sid. They must escape and make it back to Andy’s house before they are completely destroyed.

Toy Story 2: Woody is stolen by a antique toy collector. Now Buzz and the gang must rescue him and return safely back to Andy’s house.

There is quite a pattern in the form of story in terms of the toys always needing to escape from somewhere. Usually it is to escape from evil humans or evil toys. The first film didn’t include any evil toys but the subsequent films all had one that stood in the way of the toy box gang.

Regardless of the fact that the story plot is over played, this film delivers just as much charm as the other films.

Bottom Line: Your kids are going to love it.

Animation

Rated G

Running Time: 1 hour 43 minutes

Miss – newest addition to the vertical limit category Starring Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Cynthia Nixon, Kristin Davis

While wrestling with the pressures of life, love, and work in Manhattan, Carrie, Miranda, and Charlotte join Samantha for a trip to Morocco, where Samantha’s ex is filming a new movie. – synopsis from IMDB.com

It is necessary to use the synopsis from IMDB in this particular case because this movie has no plot whatsoever that it is hard to pin point exactly what the movie is about. In a word the movie is about: NOTHING. Nothing interesting happens, there is no plot development, and there is no character development. The only possible thing that this movie has going for it is how offensive it must be to particular cultures. The best part of this almost-three-hour-film is when Liza Minnelli sings and dances to “Single Ladies.”

Favorite movie commentary from audience (this contains spoilers)- There is a part in the film where Carrie is calling Big to tell him that she kissed Aidan. Big listens as Carrie talks and then says something like this to her, “I have a lot of work to do, I’ll talk to you later,” and hangs up the phone. Someone in the audience responds by saying, “asshole.” My thought is… wait a minute, she is the one that cheated and he is hurt and doesn’t want to talk to her and therefore he is the asshole? That doesn’t make sense.

Bottom Line: Truly this film is the worst of the year, worst of the decade, and worst of the century.

Comedy

Rated R for some strong sexual content and language.

Running Time: 2 hours 26 minutes (also known as- Forever)

Hit – Starring David Backus, Dustin Loreque

Directed, written, and produced by: Gris Grimly

Stash and Hub, two redneck ghouls, journey through a graveyard to do what ghouls do best: grave robbing and cannibalism.

I have to be honest, the first time I heard about this film I wasn’t interested in seeing it. This is mainly due to the title: Cannibal Flesh Riot! Since I am a conservative individual, I was skeptical about a film that focuses on cannibalism. I just wasn’t sure I was quite ready for it.

It was after meeting Gris Grimly at a small art show in Burbank and becoming familiar with this work that I became more interested in seeing the film. Knowing that it was shot with the intention of paying homage to B-movie horror films of the 1950′s, I found myself intrigued with seeing the film.

I took advantage of the Mad Creator sale during the month of April to buy a copy of the DVD. Not only does the DVD come with the soundtrack, it also comes with a creatively made 1950′s style newspaper that tells about the film. I’ve never seen a DVD inset quite like it.

The movie weighs in at 31 minutes and is a dialogue driven horror film that’s style is grainy with rough editing to pay tribute to films of the past. It includes a director introduction to the film that reminds the audience of Alfred Hitchcock or Rod Serling. Films simply aren’t made like this anymore.

Upon watching the DVD extras, I was more impressed by certain aspects of the film. The budget for this short was $6,000 which is nothing considering how much the set design, soundtrack, make-up, and sound design add to the overall beauty of the film. It was interesting to hear Gris Grimly talk about how he has never gone to film school yet the execution of the film as a whole is impressive and reflects on the talents of the novice director.

This film was obviously a labor of love for all that were involved. It has renewed my faith in the idea that film isn’t just about making money, it is about creating art. In the world of Hollywood, the concept of making something because it is a passion can sometimes be shadowed by the hands of major studios. This proves that you don’t need a big budget or a major studio to make something entertaining and great.

I am looking forward to the next Gris Grimly production: Wounded Embark of the Lovesick Mind. If you get a moment, search for Wounded Embark of the Lovesick Mind on YouTube and watch their teaser films.

Bottom Line: Order this film today before it is sold out.

P.S. The stop-motion owl is my favorite image from the film.
Follow Gris Grimly on Twitter or check out his Facebook Fan Page

Horror

Running Time: 31 minutes

Hit – Starring John Cusack, Clark Duke, Craig Robinson, Rob Corddry, Crispin Glover, Chevy Chase

When four friends leave their sad lives and return to their favorite vacation spot they get more than they expect – a hotel room hot tub that takes them back to the 80′s.

There is only one trailer that I have seen for this film and I must say, it hooked me right away. It is the trailer that includes Nick (Craig Robinson) yelling into a telephone at his future wife (Kellee Stewart) when she is 9 years old. The look on her face alone made me want to see this film.

The overall idea of the film is hilarious and I appreciate how the characters morph into themselves back to the time when the time traveling took place – we only know this when the main characters look in the mirror.

In addition, the best part of this film is the story line of the character played by Crispin Glover. It was fun to watch his fate unfold.

***possible spoiler alert***There are some hilarious reveals at the end of the film to show how their lives are different because of the time travel. ***end of spoiler alert***

This is a 100% adult film. It is not suitable for children under the age of 17, so don’t even think about it.

Bottom Line: Hilarious – but a film that you will only see once. Therefore, you may want to wait until it is on DVD.

Comedy

Rated R for strong crude and sexual content, nudity, drug use and pervasive language.

Running Time: 1 hour 40 minutes

… because 10 things would be too cliche.

1. First favorite movie was Clue and my first movie review was Along Came Polly
2. Favorite songs include: Brown Eyed Girl, Superstition, and Hotel California
3. Favorite video game is Mario Kart and I enjoy watching others play Team Fortress
4. One of my acting professors (and someone I trust and admire) told me that I should go into acting, get an agent, and go on auditions because he thought I was good. I told him that I didn’t want to do that and I wanted to teach. He told me that no one he has ever talked to about going into the business has ever told him that they weren’t interested in acting
5. My claim to fame is that Dr. Drew follows me on Twitter – now if I could only get Gris Grimly to do the same
6. Never seen The Karate Kid
7. Yes, I was on the Jay Leno show while at USC. It was the Jaywalking segment, but don’t ask me about it because I won’t tell you what question I missed – but the difference between me and everyone else was – I knew I was wrong
8. I still want to go to film school one day to study critical studies – unfortunately, it is really expensive to go to film school
9. I majored in Theatre at USC but I was not in a single production at USC. Actually, I did costumes and set design for a few productions but that was part of a class
10. It amazes me that people know who I am without having met me in person
11. While I am labeled as Miss Movies – I am actually married. I keep Miss Movies because it is a play-on-words for Hit Or Miss Movies
12. I will beg, borrow, or steal to do what I have to do to get my hands on some Gris Grimly art

Hit – Starring Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter, Crispin Glover

Now a young adult, Alice returns to Wonderland where she soon realizes the reason she has been summoned back – to bring down the Red Queen.

It would be more appropriate to title this film Through the Looking Glass as the story is more geared towards the second story of Alice’s adventures in wonderland. That being said, I was underwhelmed by the idea of wonderland looking so drab. I understand the reasoning behind it but originally thought that this story would be brighter than it actually was. The style in general was intriguing. I absolutely loved that the Red Queen had an enormous head and I appreciated the first time we see her she is seeking out the frog attendant that ate her tart. This provides for an impressive introduction.

The attention to detail was superior. One particularly interesting detail was when the Cheshire Cat gets it’s paws on the Hatter’s top hat. Cheshire Cat kneads the hat with his paws which made me snicker.

Bottom Line: Even though the color is drab – the style will captivate you.

Fantasy

Rated PG for fantasy action/violence involving scary images and situations, and for a smoking caterpillar.

Running Time: 1 hour 48 minutes

The more films I see George Clooney in ~ I get this feeling that he is becoming the Jimmy Stewart of our time. I appreciate his range and would love to see him remake any Jimmy Stewart role (with the exception of George Bailey because that role should never be re-made).

Hit – Starring Timothy Olyphant, Radha Mitchell, Joe Anderson, Danielle Panabaker

A remake of the George A. Romero 1973 film: When the residents of Ogden Marsh, Iowa turn into violent psychopaths, sheriff David Dutton (Olyphant) tries to understand the situation and joins together with other unaffected townspeople to fight for survival.

On the business side of things, this movie knows how to get it right. Their budget of 12M has already shown profit. Currently their earnings are 16M in the first weekend of release. Therefore, by pure numbers this film will be successful.

This horror film builds up the characters and the story which pulls in the audience more than it would if it just focused in on the insanity and action – which is the formula for many horror films. Sheriff Dutton and his wife are likable characters but I found her pregnancy to be a little too far-fetched. They already have a nursery set up before she is even really showing – that is quite odd to me. The pregnancy overall would have been more effective if the character were 6 months along. Other minor characters were interesting and had marginal depth.

One thing that bothers me in these types of movies is the idea that people come to help/assess the situation of the town but these people do not explain why they are there or what their objective is. Obviously there is a reason in film for them to do this but if there is a need for something to be quarantined in real life, do they keep the information from the people who are involved? I am just curious.

*The theatre I saw this in was packed. Mr. Movies and I sat in the second row of the theatre. I like to think of it as going to an IMAX film.

Bottom Line: You’d be crazy to miss this. Although – the original may be just as good as this version.

Horror

Rated R for bloody violence and language.

Running Time: 1 hour 41 minutes