Watched this movie last week, it’s an interesting concept with a great story. The movies a cross from film-noir and high school. It’s gritty but everything is placed in a high school setting which throws you off.

The language that is used seems very gritty - but they play it off as if it’s just the lingo that these high school kids use, plus it’s interesting how all the various characters and places are matched with things that a high school student would associate with. For example - a kid’s parents kitchen is like a bar, except his mom serves up milk and juice instead of gin and juice. The Vice Principle or ‘VP’ is like the police chief of a gritty town.

It’s interesting - it throws you off a bit, but the overall story is a good one. If you like mystery, if you like indie then this would be a great movie for you.

Quoted: Amazon.com: Brick: DVD

saw this yesterday as well - very interesting movie. it starts out like a horrible piece a poo movie - then quickly changes into a sharp comedy, then revenge then drama...

the first 3/4 of the movie is funny - very smart dialog.
FYI - do not watch this with your kids / parents. it'll make you uncomfortable.

also - James Woods is bloodie fantastic in his small role as the girls father.

here is what amazon had to say about the plot :
Manipulative high school sophomore Kimberly Joyce leads her friends Brittany Wells and Randa Azzouni in bringing charges of sexual assault against Percy Anderson, their English and drama teacher at an exclusive private school in Beverly Hills. Meanwhile, local reporter Emily Klein, originally assigned to do an insignificant piece on the school, hopes that the scandal will launch her into celebrity in the television news business, while Kimberly's bigoted father, Hank, is concerned primarily with the effect that his daughter's accusations may have on his business.

Quoted: Amazon.com: Pretty Persuasion: DVD

just finished watching this movie... it was tooooo slow for me. the overall movie is about relationships - between married couples, between brothers, between newly weds, between family, between 'city folk' and 'country folk' - the overall story was interesting - the story very very slowly told - it was just too slow for me...

i understand that the portral of your typical family was done well in this movie, but i just felt the movie just stated the obvious - it didn't really shed anything new about that theme.

it can also be that i just wasn't in the mood for a slow 'deep' emotional story - especially just recently having seen the warrior.

overall - acting good - story okay - pace super slow.

Quoted: Amazon.com: Junebug: DVD

picked this up from blockbusters - mainly cause the cover stated it had won 11 mexican academy awards.

watching this movie reminded me of 'City of God' and because of that comparision the review isn't higher.

here's my review. it's a story about a boy whose a delivery boy of drugs for corrupt cop(s) - he is accused of stealing and so he does. meaning he steals the money from the last delivery and sets out to leave the place with his girlfriend + her baby.

but before doing so he discovers his father is still alive and thus he starts looking for his father before leaving... what comes next is a journey to find his father interwined with daily life / survival. this journey reveals his desires and his realities. it's not a hollywood movie - meaning it doesn't have a 'neat' happy ending or heighted melodrama. the story plays out like something that might / could happen anywhere.

overall - very enjoyable (but sad). if you can't handle the violence of City of God i'd say watch this movie, BUT if you can handle violence then watch City of God instead.

Quoted: Amazon.com: De la Calle: DVD: Pena/Zapata by Pena/Zapata

had heard alot about this movie - finally got it via netflixed and watched it the other day.

here's my review. it's a poorly shot movie with a really sad story. i say poorly shot because there isn't really anything exciting about the cinematography but the story itself is a sad one. it's about a 12 year old afghan girl, her mother and grandmother who has to live in a society run by the Taliban.

it's a story of oppression, of daily life in this part of the world and time. it's a very very sad movie. i saw the extra and learned some gems about this movie.

1. the girl playing the 12 year old Afghan girl never seen a movie or television. the girl grew up and has her own experiences with the Taliban.

2. the boy who helps her is also a street kid who was capturing stray dogs and selling them to people as pets.

the director wanted to have real people in his movie who brought with them real experiences.

3. the movie is based on / stiched together from real stories the director had heard / read. the real girl which the main story is based on was a girl who went to school - when the Taliban took over they forbade girls from attending school. she cut her hair and pretended to be a boy so she could attend school. the Taliban found out and the principle of that school was 'repremended' - it doesn't go into details of what happened to the principle.

if you've read some of my reviews i hate 'neat' hollywood endings - well this movie doesn't have one. it ends with a situation which makes you wonder what will happen to all the characters. it's a very realistic ending - which i'm guessing happens / happened.

the only reason the movie doesn't have a higher rating is because the movie feels like various stories stiched together and the cinematography wasn't great. other then that the story is an insightful sad one.

Quoted: Amazon.com: Osama: DVD

saw this the other day - it was good. not too much to say about it other then that. it's a ron howard flick - he has consistantly been putting out good movies and this is yet another.

i've added a plot synopsis from amazon.com - it says it all. the only reason i don't have a higher rating for this movie is... well, other then the fact that this movie is based on a real person (which is pretty cool) the storys been told a million times - and this is yet another re-telling.

Quoted: Amazon.com: Cinderella Man (Widescreen Edition): DVD

Plot Synopsis: During the Great Depression, a common-man hero, James J. Braddock--a.k.a. the Cinderella Man--was to become one of the most surprising sports legends in history. By the early 1930s, the impoverished ex-prizefighter was seemingly as broken-down, beaten-up and out-of-luck as much of the rest of the American populace who had hit rock bottom. His career appeared to be finished, he was unable to pay the bills, the only thing that mattered to him--his family--was in danger, and he was even forced to go on Public Relief. But deep inside, Jim Braddock never relinquished his determination. Driven by love, honor and an incredible dose of grit, he willed an impossible dream to come true. In a last-chance bid to help his family, Braddock returned to the ring. No one thought he had a shot. However Braddock, fueled by something beyond mere competition, kept winning. Suddenly, the ordinary working man became the mythic athlete. Carrying the hopes and dreams of the disenfranchised on his shoulders, Braddock rocketed through the ranks, until this underdog chose to do the unthinkable: take on the heavyweight champ of the world, the unstoppable Max Baer, renowned for having killed two men in the ring.

oh my god - doesn't anyone do research anymore? i say this because i saw 'prozac nation' a few days ago and was shocked by how crappy the movie was... well perhaps it was cause i just couldn't get into it.

let me explain. i enjoy movies that can set a premise and then follow that premise - i enjoy it even more if they do something interesting with that premise. if they break the illusion for me - it's over. i can't get over it... so how did this movie screw up? well the movie is set in mid 1980's - it's bout a gal (christina ricci) who goes to harvard or some such... that's fine. some random gal recognizes her and when asked how she knew her name the gal says.... 'i looked you up in facebook.'

facebook... come on. it's suppose to be 1985! there was no facebook! dah! facebook didn't get started until bout 2004!

so i'm already annoyed... then comes all the whinning... it's basically a drama feast. ricci is a supa talented writer (of course she is) who just isn't understood (of course she isn't) her mother doesn't understand - her father doesn't understand, her father's a bastard... blah blah blah... you get the picture.

the ending sucked even more... i just wanted this movie to end - it felt like the pharmaceutical funded the movie. the whole bloodie movie, she has theraphy, fits with drugs, falls in love blah blah blah - all doesn't work - nothing works... then she gets on prozac and BAM! suddenly she's better... WTF.

save yourself some time - unless you're an 17 year ol emo kid who feels that no-one understands them, avoid this movie.

Quoted: Amazon.com: Prozac Nation: DVD

just finished watching this movie and i think a lot of blue dotters would enjoy this movie. it's a movie based on story - not on any single interaction / character... the movie follows 5 main stories and how they all revolve around one key item, oil... and how that effects each other, nations and it's citizens.

the story was very well told (i thought) in it's way to reveal itself. it followed five peoples lives - trying to tell all sides from a CIA agent, to the Oil Industry, the lawyer, the lawmaker, the amir, the terrorist... they did a great job in trying to show how each thought, how each approached their lot in life.

FYI - there was one scene of voilence - so if you can't take it... just look away for bout :30 seconds and you're in the clear. if you're looking for action filled movies - this isn't it. looking for story based drama - this is your baby.

Quoted: Amazon.com: Syriana (Widescreen Edition): DVD

so i have this waiting for me at home - and i can't wait to watch it! it looks super good + it has some comic geekdom attach to it.

1. the writer is Neil Gaiman (comic book writer - most known for 'The Sandman' for DC comics)
2. the director is Dave McKean (he did all the cover illustrations for 'The Sandman' comic books)

i'm mainly excited about all the visuals - the cover work / art work of Dave McKean (i think) is amazing. will write a full review once i've seen the movie.

Quoted: Amazon.com: Mirrormask: DVD