Movies

The Dark Knight Rises Review

Compared to its predecessor, “The Dark Knight,” “The Dark Knight Rises” is a longer and less appealing film. Among comic book movies it rates fairly high, but ever since “The Dark Knight” and the equally engaging box office hit “Inception,” audiences have come to expect more from director Christopher Nolan. Sadly, his third and final installment in the Batman franchise is lackluster on almost every level, from visual effects and cinematography all the way down to basic plot points.

Hunger Games: May the odds be ever in your favor

“May the Odds Be Ever in Your Favor,” the iconic phrase represents a lingering theme throughout the movie. Although the odds are never in anyone’s favor in this clever adaptation of the best-selling novel by Suzanne Collins, the film leaves audiences laughing, crying and occasionally jumping in terror from the many twists and turns thrown at them. Directed by Gary Ross. and staring the talents of Jennifer Lawrence as the sullen but determined sixteen year old Katniss Everdeen (Mystique in “X-Men First Class”) and Josh Hutcherson the quiet but likeable baker’s son Peeta Mellark (Jess Aarons in “Bridge to Terabithia”), critics and audiences alike agree “Hunger Games” is “entertaining.” According to Peter Rainer of The Christian Science Monitor, the pacing is “remarkably swift, given that the games themselves don’t start until halfway through the 144-minute running time.”

Movie Review: John Carter

Last year was a bad year for children’s movies. Pixar had their worst reviewed movie ever in “Cars 2,” which deservedly failed to receive an Oscar nomination. This would have been surprising in a year without decent animated features, but the Academy Award winner in this category, “Rango,” was honestly nowhere near the quality of Pixar classics like “Toy Story” or “Monsters, Inc.” “Hugo,” a live-action children’s film, ran away with the Academy Awards, but it was alone in the race. Following in Hugo’s success, Disney has stepped away from animation momentarily in favor of live-action for it’s newest film, “John Carter.”

The Descendants review

Shailine Woodley, the most surprising aspect of Alexander Payne’s new movie “The Descendants”, reveals herself as a varied and experienced actress. Poor writing riddled Shailine Woodly’s career, but her role alongside of George Clooney allows her to shine when handed a decent script led by good directing.

Movie Review: Hell and Back Again

Bias, propaganda, and censorship normally fill modern documentary style movies. However, Danfung Dennis does not employ such tactics as he explains the soldier’s blight in Afghanistan. “Hell and Back Again,” the new documentary about the Afghanistan war follows one soldier on his deployment to Afghanistan. Instead of showing viewers the horrors of war with an antiwar bias, Dennis follows one soldier in his first few months of duty until his return to the US.

Movie Review: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Having never seen the Swedish version, the American version of “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” proved to be a well directed, well acted, and well filmed compelling mystery/action movie. The movie revolves around the unsolved mystery of Harriet Vanger, a young girl of affluent background, who disappeared forty some years ago. Her entire family lives on an island that is secluded from the rest of the world, yet their contact with each other is minimal. This alone is a great enough concept to start a novel, and while the movie never delves into it, there is something to be said about leaving their interactions as another mystery of the film. While the plot of the movie lies in the solving of this mystery, by the end the audience is far more concerned with Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara) than the solved crime, or even her male counterpart Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig).

Movie Review: Young Adult

“Young Adult” is a movie about a seriously messed up writer (Charlize Theron) who comes back to her hometown to steal back her now happily-married high school sweetheart (Patrick Wilson). Theron plays tragic heroine Mavis Gay, who alienates the audiences with her antics. The story follows Gay, an aging, divorced, alcoholic writer of young adult fiction, as she travels back to the town where she was crowned prom queen.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy: Complex, deep, intellectual, confusing

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (TTSS), a movie as complicated as its name, lives up to be a very complex and intelligent spy thriller. Unlike other popular British spy movies, TTSS lacks the secret gadgets, explosions, and other theatrical tricks and instead is purely based upon realistic spy actions. This movie, currently in theaters, is based in the 1970s Cold War era when spies for the United Kingdom were attempting to infiltrate the Russian intelligence agencies, just as the Russians were trying to return the favor. TTSS follows the life of George Smiley, a retired secret agent, as he attempts to uncover a mole that has been hiding in the upper workings of MI6.

Movie Review: In Time

Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried join together in this sci-fi thriller where time is literally money. Director Andrew Niccol creates a future in which a glowing digital clock is emblazoned on everyone’s lower arm. In this world, each person stops aging at 25 years old and is given one year to live unless he or she buys, steals, or cheats his or her way into more time.

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