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

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

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

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

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

Hit – Starring Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Mark Strong

Detective Sherlock Holmes and partner-in-solving-crime Watson engage in a battle of wits with a rival whose evil plot could harm all of England.

Of all the Guy Ritchie films I have seen (Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch, and RocknRolla), this is the first film that I was actually able to comprehend. Thanks Guy! Obviously, this is a film that one wanted to use in terms of sequel or perhaps more films to follow it, in which case, the first film of the bunch needs to draw the audience into the character and keep them interested. I was quite upset by the idea that the ending was so abrupt and left us with no real resolution, but my husband informed me that this is the style of how the books are written. I can appreciate Guy Ritchie and the writers for being true to the series in this regard.

One thing that bugs me about this movie (or movies in general) is when there are parts/scenes in the trailer that are not in the film. This particular movie did a horrible job of this as there are specific main trailer moments that you are looking for in the film – one being the corset outfit that McAdams wears in the trailer, the other being when she says the line, “they’ve been flirting like this for hours.” Hopefully we will see these items in the bonus material of the DVD release but it is upsetting that they were not included in the final film version.

I remember as a kid when I was first disappointed by this notion. I was watching the movie Bingo (1992) in theaters and was looking forward to the part where Bingo is spinning on a stool while bandages are being removed from him. This wasn’t in the final version of the film and I was upset about it. Re-watching the trailer now makes me think, why on Earth did I ever want to see that film? I guess that is why it is considered a kids film.

Bottom Line: Sherlock Holmes is adventurous and exciting – a movie that is family friendly for children in 4th grade or older.

Action

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some startling images and a scene of suggestive material.

Running Time: 2 hours 8 minutes

Hit – Starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang

Before I review the film as a whole I would like to compare the synopsis of this movie to the synopsis of FernGully: The Last Rainforest.

Avatar:

A marine is sent on a mission to the moon called Pandora. Once there, he is asked to befriend the natives to help them relocate (so Americans can take their precious resources and turn them into profit) – instead he comes to love his surroundings and finds himself wanting to protect the natives and their home.

FernGully: The Last Rainforest

A rainforest called FernGully is threatened by pollution and logging by a destructive force. In order to save their rainforest, they need help from a human named Zak.

Simply put, I find that Avatar is the adult version of FernGully: The Last Rainforest. While discussing this idea with a friend, they responded, “FernGully must be the most popular film because I keep hearing about it when people discuss Avatar.” Upon this interaction, I started talking with friends and family members about my thoughts on Avatar – only to find that no one I know has actually seen FernGully. To me, this is ridiculous. Especially when I talk to people who are my age. At this point in time I believe that I am one of the only people who has ever seen FernGully.

Anyway, regardless of FernGully, this movie was quite a sight to see and experience. The CGI animation was the best I have ever seen without making things look “creepy.” I consider “creepy CGI/animation” to be movies like A Christmas Carol and The Polar Express. The creepiness comes from the idea that the CGI/animation is too close to the real thing and therefore creepy.

I am going to keep this somewhat short and say:

Bottom Line: A sight to see and experience in theaters – I saw it at a THX theatre which is an amazing experience in itself.

Fantasy

Rated PG-13 for intense epic battle sequences and warfare, sensuality, language and some smoking.

Running Time: 2 hours 38 minutes

Hit – Starring Jim Carrey, Colin Firth, Gary Oldman

An animated version of Charles Dickens’ novel about an grouchy old man who is taken on a journey of self-reflection by three spirits that represent the past, present, and future.

The opening of this film reminded me of so many Disney films of the past. They start with the book – A Christmas Carol on a table with a candle next to it. We zoom in and when we get close enough the book opens to the first chapter. This is the subsequent end of the story as they conclude by closing the book. I have missed this particular introductory style in Disney films that it is refreshing to see that it has made its way back.

This particular installment of A Christmas Carol was interesting because of the 3D animation that is included. It takes awhile for your eyes to adjust to this style but it adds a little pizazz to the film. Without this, the movie would have simply been like any other film out there. Luckily, they decided to show the film in this format which enhanced the overall viewing of the film.

As always, the story is solid, the voice acting is superior, and the pace of the film is on track. But, there are areas of this film that fail to meet expectations. 1. The movie was quite thrilling and would not be suitable for general audiences – 3rd grade and up would be appropriate. 2. The animation style (as seen in The Polar Express) is still very creepy because it looks too close to the real thing. 3. The 3D animation was good but it wasn’t as great as I thought it would be – I was expecting Captain EO-esque type 3D but I didn’t find any reason to try and grab at things in front of me like a 3D movie should inspire you to do.

Bottom Line: Enjoyable but I still prefer Mickey’s Christmas Carol.

Animation

Rated PG for scary sequences and images.

Running Time: 1 hour 36 minutes

Hit – Starring Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin, Jesse Eisenberg

In a world overrun by Zombies, two men who have found a way to survive. But can they handle taking two extra passengers on their journey?

Zombieland gets off to a great start and doesn’t slow down from there. The pace of the film is fast and gets to the point quickly. I appreciate this factor as I feel that most films nowadays are slow paced and can drag on too long. This was the perfect amount of – wham, bam, thank you ma’m.

This film is a “hard R” in the area of gore. There were many times where I turned my head because of the amount of violence/gore proved to be too much for me. While I can stomach a lot of things, this was too much for me.

The actors in this film were well cast and I found that they played well off of each other. The relationships were believable and the celebrity cameo was by far one of the best I have ever seen in a film.

Bottom Line: If you like Zombie films, you will love Zombieland.

Comedy, Action, Horror

Rated R for horror violence/gore and language.

Running Time: 1 hour 28 minutes