Now, what I really wanted to review is the "substance or lack-there-of" of this multi-million dollar investment. AVATAR rumors and hype have circulated the net and subsequently our TV screens for months. Fans have written reviews before even seeing it, and not-so-fans hated it likewise. Honestly, if forced to choose… I was in the latter group. Not that I am not a fan of James Camerons previous work. I loved Alien (all of them), Terminator, The Abyss, Titanic, and even had a soft spot for Jamie Curtis doing her awkward strip-tease in True Lies…BUT after reading and hearing so much about AVATAR I pretty much decided prematurely that it was a retold combination of "Ferngully" and "Dances with wolves" starring some very large smurfs!

Little did I know how only 15 minutes into the movie I would come to find Sigourney Weaver's portrayal of a snarky scientist with a die-hard smoking habit mildly amusing. Even the typically bland Sam Worthington gained life when inside the avatar body with the help of the FX people! And the parts of the storyline you expect and can get "cliche"  (and there are plenty) were easily overlooked. Zoe Saldana (although the least recognizable of the cast) was also funny and suprisingly exciting to watch.

Hype normally becomes a problem for moviegoers (not for the studios) because high expectations are usually not met. In this case, I think it somehow set me up for disappointment in that it made me believe it would be another substance-lacking boring-as-hell blockbuster in the same league as "Transformers 2" or "Surrogates" has  been this year. And so I was almost blown away when presented with a movie I would actually want to go pay for and see AGAIN. Here is a filmmaker who, albeit not exactly "artistic" in the pure sense, has proven me wrong in thinking all Hollywood needs to make good action movies are bombs, robots and A-listers. To Mr Cameron; I congratulate you on another great action flick.

Here is a great article from Creative Review about the opening titles of classics and modern day jewels when it comes to film. Personally I have to say the 2 most iconic opening sequences from the list are any of the Bond Movie titles (who can forget those intricate and beautiful graphics and patterns intertwines with silhouettes?) and suprisingly the Pink Panther; mainly due to the catchy tome but also to the playfulness. Dudum Duddum, Duddum duddum duddum, Duddum Duduuuuuuuum. For the full article…Click Here.

ALWAYS BOOK YOUR NEXT JOB BEFORE REVIEWS.

For the full article on Bond… Click Here.

Director: D J Caruso
Cast: Shia LaBoeuf, Michelle Monaghan, Billy Bob Thorton.

Plot: Jerry and Rachel are two strangers thrown together by a mysterious phone call from a woman they have never met. Threatening their lives and family, she pushes Jerry and Rachel into a series of increasingly dangerous situations, using the technology of everyday life to track and control their every move.

Steven Spielbergs latest movie was what I would have expected from him. The action packed film had very good special effects and for the most part believable stunts. His prodigy boy, Shia LeBeouf does a pretty good job although I have to say the part doesnt deviate much from his past roles of ‘rebel’.

I think the first 15 minutes of the movie drag on a bit too long. There is no need to give us such deep background information to set us up. I found myself wondering when the “real” story would begin. Specially because now a days we dont walk in unknowingly into most movies, and we know what they are going to be about, I feel storywriters have more of an obligation to outsmart us and not bore us.

Overall, the movie was a good action filled thriller. The concept has been done before: 2001, space odyssey, Stealth….. but has been copied in an elegant enough way that you dont know who is controlling the ‘bad guys’ until near the end. The acting was pretty good (specially Billy Bob Thortons performance), and the ending was, although a bit predictable, still decent.

Director: Brian De Palma

Writer: Oliver Stone

Cast: Al Pacino, Stephen bauer, Michelle Pfeiffer…

Synopsis: In 1980 Miami, a determined Cuban immigrant takes over a drug empire while succumbing to greed.

I was watching this the other night at home after having seen it in highschool (so had really forgotten how good it was) and was blown away by the performances. I know, I know, everyone knows and its an understatement to say that. Its like saying the Godfather has good actors.

But for all those actors who maybe haven’t seen this classic, or even those of you who might have not seen it in a long time, please go to your nearest blockbuster/bit-torrent site and get it. Pick up some popcorn and a couple of fellow actors and even make an event of it. Each of you will probably pick-up different facets of the actors performances, because plenty there are!!

I have to say even though I mostly admire how a fairly un-known Michelle Pfeiffer hlds her own aside the star: Pacino. Something has to be said for the fact that the most infamous Cuban character in movie history is played by an American!!! So maybe its time for all the latino actors to search for a new role to up-stage him!! Still: well done Pacino. Huh?

Written and Directed by: Bryan Bertino
Cast: Liv Tyler, Scott Speedman, and Kip Weeks.
Synopsis: After returning from a wedding reception, a couple staying in an isolated vacation house receive a knock on the door in the mid-hours of the night. What ensues is a violent invasion by three strangers, their faces hidden behind masks. The couple find themselves in a violent struggle, in which they go beyond what either of them thought capable in order to survive.

Great Thriller movie! It really gets deep inside your skin (especially women). In the first half hour. Being left alone in a strange house late at night is enough to prove my point!

Its enough to know that its actually based on a true story and if you go online and look at all the facts they have from reality its even more creepy. And theres always something that I cant stand about little whispy female scary characters with freaky voices in movies.

Spoiler Alert! The ending was not as creepy but just as terrifying if you think that it’s a very plausible and possible thing to happen in out-in-the-empty-woods house. Overall I liked it very much, and Liv Tyler’s performance was well worth mentioning. I don’t know if she has any other experience in thriller/scary movies but she did very well.

Cast: Tony Curtis, Jerry Lewis, Thelma Ritter
Dir: John Rich
Synopsis: American playboy Bernard Lawrence has cleverly designed a system using the airline timetables to keep going three affairs with flight stewardesses. However, his life soon starts to descend into a shambles after the arrival of a friend, Robert Reed, and a dreaded change to the flight order, whereby it becomes increasingly difficult to keep his three fiancées apart

I am a true fan of both Tony Curtis (Houdini anyone?) and Jerry Lewis (The best comedian ever!). So to have them together in this great comedy of tangles and relationships that twist and turn and get mingled was wonderful.

It’s a movie I believe to be timeless, countless times imitated but never even remotely approached. So many try to make comedies like these now a days but just cant. It might be the acting (I mean, few have been able to successfully follow the exaggerated comedy of Jerry Lewis, just Jim Carey, Jack Nicholson…) but maybe it has more to do with the writing. The wit and humor is simple and complex at the same time.

Definitely a must see for all of you who want to learn comedy from the pros and hopefully one day even surpass them! This is a wonderful place to start.

I am a great fan of thriller and scary movies and I was pleasantly surprised with this one. Although you wont get truly “afraid” because it is a little far-fetched in my opinion. It holds great components to be a good scary movie: the already mysterious mirrors (in many cultures they believe mirrors steal your soul), great soundtrack, action, blood, and a lot of easy-scares.

What I mean by a lot of easy scares is that the entire movie theater jumped and squealed at least 6 or 7 times throughout. That’s a pretty good record for modern day movies to which we have become so easily accustomed and almost de-sensitized. Any move that actually gets my heart beating so fast is OK in my book.

Then there is also some good Gore scenes if that’s what you are looking for. Actually, it contains one of the MOST explicit, Gore scenes I have ever seen. I will admit I actually had to cover my eyes during most of it.

Spoiler alert!: The ending left me a little more bland. They really did a great job of rallying me up and in the last 2 minutes completely lost me in confusion and over-doing it.