Morning Glory (2010)

★★★★1/2

Becky Fuller, a very strong and determined young TV producer takes up the struggling task of producing a failing morning news program. With the ratings in the dumps she has no choice but to enlist the help of veteran news reporter Mike Pomeroy, who isn’t thrilled or willing to be on morning news. Now Becky needs to find a way to make Mike cope with the show to not only save her job the jobs of all her co-workers whom she’s come to love and respect. I love this movie; it’s very reminiscent of the 80s and 90s rom-com movies. It has a great cast and wonderful yet very busy story that often makes me stressed out. Harrison Ford is wonderful as Mike Pomeroy and shows a great deal of character development throughout the entire movie.

Proteus (1995)

★★1/2

After their Yacht explodes from an engineering problem, a group of heroine smugglers find shelter aboard an abandoned oilrig. However, after investigating the rig for foot and medical supplies, they come to realize that the entire rig is just a cover up for secret government project involving biological experimentation. Unfortunately, the experimentation was a success and there’s a monstrous creature on the loose. Full review here.

Waiting (2005)

★★★★☆

Taking place between the opening and closing of Shenaniganz, a Bennigan’s style restaurant, the story follows the employees during a typical two-shift day as they deal with adulthood, relationships, work problems and personal hardships. This is one of those raunchy, coming of age movies that slipped beneath the radar but has a very serious and sad subplot that works well with the overall story. The cast is great and the characters are all believable but the story isn’t just focused in on one character but rather several, making the audience literally feel like they are observing everybody. What’s so great about this is that all the situations and characters are very believable.

Red (2010)

★★★★☆

Based off of the comic book of the same name, the story follows Frank Moses… a retired yet extremely dangerous black-ops agent who unwillingly becomes the target of a government assassin. With his life and life of his other black-op agents on the line, Frank assembles his former team back from retirement to uncover the conspiracy. Making matters worse, he accidentally involves a female telephone operator who he’s had a crush on. This is what a good action movie is all about: great witty dialogue, a cast that seems to work great with each other, explosions and some type of secret government operation. This was a fun ride from beginning to end but I think Malkovich shines through the entire film and upstages, in some scenes, veteran action hero Bruce Willis.

Slither (2006)

★★★★1/2

Arguably a remake of the 80s cult classic Night of the Creeps, this horror tale is about an alien slug that takes over the body of Grant Grant. Unfortunately Grant becomes a hideous, gelatinous alien that lets loose a hoard of alien slugs on the town. Now, as people are dying and resurrecting from the slugs it’s up to the town sheriff and Grant’s young wife to save what is left from the town before the alien species takes over. The film accomplishes what it set out to do; it’s gritty, it’s witty, it’s funny but it comes at the cost of gore, blood and disgusting body horror scenes. It effectively captures the heart of 80s horror using practical effects and successfully homages the Troma films of the 80s.

Independence Day (1996)

★★★★☆

In this big budget action-packed movie aliens invade Earth and decimate all the major cities by synching up a countdown. With the world on the brink of destruction, the president must enlist the help of a rough-and-tumble Air Force pilot, a computer expert who is an ex-lover of his Press Secretary and an alcoholic airplane pilot who claims to have been abducted. I love this movie mainly because of its action and quick dialogue. Sure it’s cheesy and some may argue there is no plot, but that’s what these movies are all about. I even love how over-Patriotic the film is, especially since a Canadian directs it.

Die Hard (1988)

★★★★★

When a group of terrorists seize control of an L.A. office building, NY cop John McClane decides to take matters into his own hands and tries to save the hostages even if it means taking out every terrorist one by one. Unfortunately the LAPD insists that McClane should leave the terrorists to the FBI but they don’t understand that these aren’t just your typical terrorists. This is the definition of an action movie and words cannot describe how much ass this movie kicks.

Battle: Los Angeles (2011)

★★★1/2

Minutes after meteors crash land off the coast of Los Angeles, a Marine platoon is sent to downtown to keep people from panicking. But when an army of alien cyborgs begins decimating everything in sight, the platoon is asked to infiltrate enemy territory to rescue stranded civilians and bring them back to the safe zones. During their journey back to the safe zone, the platoon bonds with their Staff Sergeant who was rumored to have let his company die overseas. This wasn’t just eye-candy and action, which there is a lot of, but it’s something else. It had emotion, character and a great sense of Patriotism. The special effects were excellent and the aliens felt advanced but at the same time they felt primitive, as if their technology wasn’t perfected. It was a great new look at alien invasion movies and I’d say it was the Independence Day of the new millennium.

Insidious (2011)

★★★★☆

Full review here.

Network (1976)

★★★★★

Howard Beale is being fired from his job as the news anchor for a major TV studio and this makes him mad as hell, so he decides to vent out his anger and his opinions inappropriately during the evening news. However, Diana, head of entertainment programming, sees this as an opportunity to shamelessly exploit Howard’s twisted ramblings and work them into a show where he becomes the ‘mad prophet’ of television. This quick, witty satire of both news and business is wonderfully approached by Lumet and peppered with an outstanding cast. It’s funny, it’s nail biting, it’s grim and it’s a spectacle to see a film that was made 35 years ago still be relevant today.

The Mist (2007)

★★★★1/2

When a mysterious mist rolls into town, David and his young son Billy get stranded in a supermarket with dozens of other people. However, they soon realize that there are things that lurk in the mist, things that have large tentacles, and things that could fly. Now David and the rest of the people must find a way to survive and get before they begin loosing their minds. Though it’s certainly not Darabont’s best King adaptation, this movie is great in all the right parts. It’s compelling and packed with character and emotion. It’s such a bleak look at humanity and it effectively makes you jump. Look for a whopper of an ending.

The Adjustment Bureau (2011)

★★★★☆

After having a brief fling with a ballerina, Senator David Norris is on a quest to find who the mysterious girl was that he had fallen in love with. However, a secret society of people is determined to keep them apart from each other by supernatural means. These people can control time, alter the course of reality with a flick of their thumbs and travel by means of opening doors; they are the Adjustment Bureau and they believe that the bonding between Norris and Elise may destroy their lives. This riveting, compelling and beautiful story of love and science fiction is a breath of fresh air with all the sequels and remakes out there. It has great characters, great performances and a very sad mood, but in the end, it pays for itself.

Dolly Dearest (1992)

★★1/2

The Wade family moves to Southern Mexico after the father, Elliot, decides to put more effort into the doll-making business. What they don’t realize is that the factory is next to an ancient satanic gravesite and an evil spirit, known as the Sanzia Devil Child, has been released into one of the dolls. Now, the spirit slowly possesses the family’s daughter through a doll that her father gave her. Right off the bat it sounds very similar to The Exorcist and it is but it seems like this version should be considered ‘the poor man’s Exorcist.’ It has it’s moments and it can be pretty freaky at times but it’s an overall cheesy but fun movie.

RoboCop (1987)

★★★★☆

After being transferred to the crime-ridden dystopic city of Detroit, Officer Murphy is gun down in a hail of bullets to the point of near-death. However, a local businessman decides to use the wounded officer as a test subject for his new project; so he retrofits his body and makes into a powerful crime fighting cyborg. Unfortunately, RoboCop’s suppressed memories are surfacing and now he’s after the men who took everything away from him. This is a fantastic, gritty look at the near future with great performances and a lot of action. I think it has stood the test of time as being one of the best mordern sci-fi films and even now the special effects are very impressive.

It! Terror From Beyond Space (1958)

★★★★☆

Alleged original version of Alien follows Col. Carruthers who is being escored from his base on Mars to be prosecuted on Earth for the murders of his fellow astronauts. However, Carruthers says that an alien killed them. It isn’t before long till the alien becomes loose on the rocket and begins killing the crewman. How do you stop something hat is obviously much bigger and stronger than you? Can they find a way to stop it? Even though the film was made and produced in the 50s, it’s peppered with beautiful haunting imagery that enhances its dark, gloomy disposition. It’s a fantastic movie to come out of the age of schlock sci-fi.

Walk The Line (2005)

★★★★☆

This biopic chronicles the life and rise of country music singer Johnny Cash. It shows how he went from being a farm boy, to getting his first record made, to singing with Jerry Lee Lewis all the way down to his drug addiction and recuperation. This film had an outstanding cast with fine performances by Phoenix and Witherspoon. It started off as a story of hope to a story about addiction to love and drugs. It was a very inspiring film of a music legend.

The Ringer (2005)

★★★☆☆

Steve Barker has a problem: his illegally employed servant is taken to the hospital after having his fingers cut off in a lawnmower accident. Now, to pay back the hospital debt, he and his uncle must rig the Special Olympics. Barker must act handicapped so that he could win the money to save his servant and his uncle. The problem is, he begins falling for his female aid. I enjoyed this film because it doesn’t really make fun of handicapped people, but rather shows them as intelligent and gifted people. It combined humor, character and a great supporting cast. Although it did seem a bit too fast paced. Otherwise, it was a fun movie.

Galaxy Quest (1999)

★★★1/2

After a slight snap at a sci-fi convention, TV star of the hit show Galaxy Quest Jason Nesmith is asked by real life aliens to help them defeat a ferocious doctoral alien race. Soon, Nesmith recruits the rest of the cast to literally play their roles for real to help and save the dying alien race. Little do they know, they in way over their heads. This was a fantastic film that has wit, humor, some raunchy comedy but touching. It was a great nostalgia factor for me and it reminded me why I love movies. It has adventure and a great supporting cast. There were times I felt sad and times I was grossed out. All in all, Galaxy Quest is what it is… a wacky adventure that takes you to the edge of the universe.

Drive Angry (2011)

★★★☆☆

After literally escaping from Hell, Milton is on the lamb as he brutally and relentlessly tracks down the man and his cult who were responsible for killing his daughter and kidnapping his granddaughter for a sacrifice. Unfortunately, he unwillingly draws a young ex-waitress along with him and his antics attract the attention of Satan’s right-hand man and bounty hunter known as The Accountant. The movie delivered what the trailer promised, but I wanted more. I wanted more action, more cheese and more Fitchner. Otherwise, it wasn’t bad. It could have been better.

The Public Enemy (1931)

★★★★☆

This Depression era story follows Tom Powers from a young juvenile delinquent to becoming the right-hand man of a powerful Chicago bootlegger. However, after his boss turns on him he finds a new boss and kills his former employer. Soon, Powers becomes one of the most powerful criminals in Chicago even during a violent mob war. This was a fine pre-code film that doesn’t really glorify the gangster but rather has you feel hatred for him. Tom Powers isn’t a good person and Cagney really nails his character. It’s a fine film for anybody who loves crime dramas.

True Grit (2010)

★★★1/2

Mattie Ross is a 14 year-old-girl who enlists the help of a ruthless, stern but drunken bounty hunter named Rooster Cogburn to capture the Tom Chaney, the man who killed Mattie’s father. The film is beautifully shot and wonderfully directed and though it’s not Bridges’ finest performance, Hailee Steinfeld steals the show as the stubborn young girl. It’s fascinating seeing her try to cope with the way the world is, considering she is a woman. The film is very overrated but it’s still worth a watch for Western fans. I thoroughly enjoyed it.