Starting with the good, the acting was excellent.  Obviously Johnny Depp was incredible and Christopher Walken was amazing, but Charles S. Dutton also chips in with a great supporting role as a disabled war veteran who helps out Gene Watson.  The rest of the acting is decent enough not to distract from the plot.

That’s where the good ends.  The plot is borderline ridiculous and is held together by a various loose web of sensible characters.  It makes almost no sense that two “agents” would recruit a man to kill a government official based on seeing him punch out a teenager in a train station.  The series of events that prevent Watson from being caught are just impossible.

The filmmaking itself is very dull.  The tone of the film is very gray despite the action-packed nature of the story and the editing doesn’t really match the feel of the scenes.

While I love Depp, Walken, and Dutton, Nick of Time is nothing more than an after thought in their careers.  It would have been far more interesting had the sitting governor of California been Schwarzenegger at the time.  Nick of Time gets a 5.5/10.

I’ll start by saying that this is no Office Space, but that would be nearly impossible to replicate.  While not as funny as Office Space, Extract still manages to strike the same cord and bring about the same kinds of laughs as its predecessor.  In all likelihood, this movie will always be compared to its big brother, which just isn’t fair.  Extract is a truly hilarious film.

With any comedy, acting is a huge concern.  Without people to deliver perfect comedic timing, a comedy cannot be successful.  Jason Bateman, as usual, is hilarious.  He brings that typical sort of nonchalant funniness that we’ve been accustomed to since Arrested Development.  Kristen Wiig, while only briefly in the film, is far funnier than she is on SNL (admittedly, I’m not a fan).  Ben Affleck delivers one of his best roles as Bateman’s best friend, the unstable drug addict Dean.  Nearly everything Affleck says is laugh-out-loud funny.  While funny at times, Mila Kunis becomes almost an after-thought when grouped with the other actors and actresses.  Perhaps the funniest performance is that of Dustin Milligan as Brad, the young gigolo hired by Bateman to sleep with his wife.  Milligan’s character made me laugh hysterically at almost every line.

While funny, the plot was a bit haphazardly thrown together.  Things sort of flowed together unnaturally and it almost took me out of the film.  Some parts felt out of place and other occurrences went completely unexplained and felt like nothing more than confusing devices to further the plot.

While its plot isn’t as tightly put together as Office Space, Extract manages to capture the same kind of magic as its predecessor.  Extract gets an 8.5/10.

Needless to say, when Clark Gable is involved, the acting is awesome.  It must be taken into account by new viewers that this was a different era and acting was done a bit more like stage acting.  Regardless, Gable is amazing.  Admittedly, I had never heard of Claudette Colbert, but she was also incredible.  There are even a ton of small, one-scene characters that are laugh-out-loud hysterical, such as a man by the name of Shapely who simply won’t stop talking.

The cinematography, while simple by today’s standards, was excellent for the time-period.  Nothing is overly fancy but it withstands the test of time for sure.

In regards to the filmmaking, it was the first film ever to win the “Big Five” Academy awards, Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Screenplay, despite both Gable and Colbert’s initial displeasure with the script.  While I highly doubt that it could win most of those awards at today’s Academy Awards (for more reasons than just the film itself), it’s still a fun movie.

While it is an incredibly enjoyable film, many people may find it too “old-fashioned” to enjoy.  The humor still holds up today but a lot of younger people might be put off by the look of the film.  Regardless, it’s a great film and really fun to watch.  It Happened One Night gets an 8/10.

One of the most miraculous details of the film is that Heath Ledger only finished about half of his parts.  To remedy this, Gilliam did a ton of rewriting and recast parts of his role taking place within the Imaginarium to Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell.  As odd as it may sound, this approach actually feels right within the story and even sort of matches Ledger’s character’s personality.  All three actors do an excellent job at playing Heath, but I must say, Depp does the best.  One of my complaints about the film is that of Depp, Law, and Farrell, Farrell has the most screen time whereas Johnny Depp performs the best.  It is a minor complaint, but I would have liked to have seen their three parts rearranged.

All of the acting is tremendous and Heath Ledger definitely delivers in his final role.  Christopher Plummer is amazing as Doctor Parnassus and the model-turned-actress Lily Cole is great as Valentina.  Obviously Depp, Law, and Farrell are amazing but the most unexpected performance came from Andrew Garfield.  Garfield portrayed Anton, a young man in love with Valentina.  I had never heard of him before but he was excellent.  Although Ledger is nothing short of brilliant, my favorite performance may have been Tom Waits as the devil.  His raspy voice and ridiculous mustache make for a unique yet near perfect personification of the devil.

The world of the Imaginarium was incredible.  The stylized nature of the world itself as well the sheer scale of everything were breathtaking.  Every time the setting shifted into the Imaginarium, it became apparent that this world was straight from the mind of Terry Gilliam.  I don’t know how he comes up with the ideas that he does.

The plot itself is fairly standard yet fresh in its approach.  I was very compelled by the subtleties of the story but within the last twenty minutes or so, I became so confused that I resigned myself to just sit and watch.  Also, what happens after the credits doesn’t help to make things any less confusing.  Most things become clear (if not slightly less opaque) by the end except Heath Ledger’s character.  I am still utterly confused by his character and his fate.

One thing that kind of put me off was that a lot of the film takes place in modern day London.  The trailer really led me to believe that even when the characters weren’t in the Imaginarium, the world itself would have some kind of whimsy or stylization to it.  In a way, it’s almost brilliant that the story features such colorful and whimsical characters within a bland and plain world.  However, seeing a regular London did put me off a bit.

Overall, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is a good film and a must-see for any true Heath Ledger fan, however, I have never been so conflicted about how to rate a film.  It was beautiful but ugly at the same time.  I almost feel that this was Gilliam’s intention.  This may be a bit biased since it is Ledger’s last film, but The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus gets an 8.5/10.

I must say, 300 is one of my 3 favorite films of all-time.  Zack Snyder is a magician when it comes to making movies.  The way he turned a graphic novel into an almost perfect big-screen representation is nothing short of incredible.  Snyder successfully made an action-packed blockbuster that can appease the masses that also serves as a flawlessly beautiful piece of art.  The art of 300 is mind-blowing.  Every shot of the film sans one was filmed on a massive soundstage, yet the entire film is insanely beautiful.  Most movies that are mostly CGI have a fake feel to them, but 300 manages to bypass this.  The color scheme and overall stylization of the film is amazing.

One thing that Zack Snyder does better than anybody is fight scenes.  Where most people do a ton of quick cuts to make the action look rapid and intense, Snyder does a lot of long, slow-motion shots to show the art of the fight.  The most memorable fight scene in 300 is when Leonidas single handedly dismembers a dozen Persians in one single shot.  They come one after another and he tears them apart without a single cut in the film being made.

Whenever a film is made that is an adaptation of something from another medium, a comparison has to be made.  In most cases, adaptations are flawed in some way, but 300 is literally a shot-by-shot recreation of the graphic novel.  Zack Snyder was able to remain perfectly faithful to the graphic novel while also creating his own world for it to take place in.

The acting in 300 isn’t perfect, but it’s good enough not to distract from the art of the film.  Butler portrays Leonidas perfectly and Lena Headey is amazing as Queen Gorgo.  Rodrigo Santoro plays a good but disturbing Xerxes.  Vincent Regan and Michael Fassbender are also very good.

The story is great and the acting is good, but what makes 300 amazing in my eyes is is the art.  300 is like nothing I have ever seen at the movies.  If the entire plot was removed and the characters were left undeveloped, it would still be beautiful.  It wouldn’t be good, but it would be beautiful.  The fact that Snyder was able to combine amazing CGI, beautiful stylization, a good story, and good characters makes 300 a near perfect film in my opinion.  300 gets a 10/10.

As expected with a Jonathan Nolan script and a Christopher Nolan film, The Prestige is incredibly written and impeccably adapted.  The nonlinear storytelling serves to fuel the audience’s desire to found out what will happen to the point that you will become obsessed, much like Angier, with finding out how everything is done.  The character development is done very well especially the relationship between Angier and Borden.  In the first chronological scene involving the two, we see a potential strain in their relationship over the knot tying for the water torture trick.  As time goes by, jealously and lust for revenge develop into pure hatred that is reciprocated.

The acting is phenomenal.  Hugh Jackman, who is known mostly for his action roles, performs wonderfully as Robert Angier.  His showmanship and stage presence feels very professional and he pulls off the subtle line between obsession and insanity very well.  Undoubtedly, Christian Bale was brilliant, although his extremely thick accent felt a bit fake (despite his Welsh origins).  Michael Caine, who plays another Alfred-esque father figure type character, is excellent as usual and almost feels like the heart of the film.  The emotions and though process that Caine’s character goes through perfectly mimic that of the average audience members mindset and Caine really makes that an easy connection to make.  David Bowie as Tesla and Andy Serkis as his assistant have very little screen time but are great nonetheless.  Scarlett Johansson feel a bit out of place in my opinion, but her acting is fine.

My favorite part of The Prestige is the twist ending and the fact that I can watch it again and still be impressed.  Without revealing what the twist is, there are a noticeable amount of clues as to what will happen.  Early on, when Bale performs a trick that involves killing a bird by flattening its cage and pulling an identical bird out, a child in the audience begins to cry.  Bale tells him that the bird is fine but the child responds, “but where’s his brother.”  Going back and watching it again, this scene is so important/incredible.  There are other small cues, such as lingering camera shots and the fact that sometimes Bale wears his ring on one finger and sometimes on another.

The Prestige is a wonderfully crafted film by Jonathan and Christopher Nolan and I give it 9/10.

Lars and the Real Girl is a very quirky pseudo-comedy that tugs at a lot of different emotions.  It was an incredibly difficult film to watch as it was almost depressing.  The film makes you feel sorry for Lars and the fact that he is so lonely, but at the same time shows you that happiness can come from anywhere.  Situations involving Lars taking Bianca out to public places are almost painful to watch until the entire town begins to embrace Bianca.  However, as the town starts to enjoy her company, Lars realizes that they are spending more time with her the he is.  As his self-controlled “game” takes a turn for the worse, emotions fly.

The end scene is nothing short of beautiful.  Without spoiling the plot, it leaves you both sad and happy in different ways.

Ryan Gosling is absolutely incredible and the rest of the cast is awesome.  Gosling completely absorbs the role of Lars and makes you truly believe that the character is real.  Not many actors are able to make you forgot that they are actors during the course of a film, but he pulls it off flawlessly.  Lars and the Real Girl is a totally character driven piece and relies heavily on the acting, and absolutely everyone satisfies.

As I said, it is very difficult to watch but the cinematography of the movie is amazing.  The colors add to the overall tone of the film and just serve to depress you, which is the point.

Lars and the Real Girl gets a 9.0/10.

I’ll start out by saying that Predator is your typical near mindless action film.  There are no real attempts at serious plot or character development and they don’t ever pretend to need this.  It is a pure 1980′s action movie, and it’s one of the best.  The acting is fine for the genre; there’s a ton of one liners and buff non-actors playing actors.  Schwarzenegger is typical early Schwarzenegger.  Carl Weathers is great.  Everyone else is fine as well.  Excellent acting isn’t something necessary in a film like this, in my opinion, it just can’t be awful, and the acting is good enough.

The costume and makeup design is incredible.  For a film made in 1987, Stan Winston did a typically amazing job on the Predator costume.  I’ve never been a fan of the Predator’s actual facial design (I love the mask) but it’s still done perfectly.  The hanging, skinned bodies, the piles of guts, and the mangled bodies are also very good.

The plot is extremely basic but does a good job of not trying to over explain itself.  There’s virtually no exposition and there really doesn’t need to be.  The soldiers have no idea what the Predator is and why it’s there, so we don’t really need to know either.  Everything is very self-contained and packed together nicely.

The action sequences, such as when the soldiers raid the enemy base camp, look amazing.  The muzzle flashes and explosions are awesomely done and look incredible for a late 80′s movie.  The only thing that looked bad was the plasma explosions from the Predator’s shoulder cannon.

For a late 80′s action movie, Predator is awesome.  Predator gets an 8.5/10.

To be blunt, The Twilight Saga: New Moon is a terrible film and a terrible story.  The characters make absolutely no sense, the plot is completely ridiculous, and the acting is a joke.  I can’t tell you what happened more times throughout the film: Jacob taking his shirt off, Bella biting her bottom lip, or Edward slowly turning his head, wide-eyed and pale, while making a face of horror and disgust.  I have no idea how Anna Kendrick can be so good in Up in the Air simultaneously being in something so horrible.  I will say, Michael Sheen was very good as Aro, leader of The Volturi.

The character of Bella Swan is the most insane and selfish character ever conceived.  In fact, I’m willing to applaud Stephanie Meyer for creating possibly the most horrific character in literary history.  She flips out when Edward leaves town and subsequently makes her father and friends’ lives hell by being a total pain in the ass.  Then, for no conceivable reason, she decides to hop on the back of some random thug’s motorcycle in an attempt to summon Edward.  Once she realizes what a totally ridiculous idea this is, she asks the biker to stop and let her off, which he does… think about that for a second… it makes no sense.  Realizing that motorcycling is a huge rush for her, she buys two motorcycles and asks Jacob to fix them up.  They spend a ton of time together but when Jacob admits that he likes her as more than a friend, she is almost offended and pushes him away.  Then, when he turns into a werewolf and tells Bella to stay away, she gets mad that he is pushing her away.  She is totally and completely selfish.

Edward is basically the vampire equivalent of Ike Turner.  He mentally and emotionally abuses Bella and puts her in situations of potential physical harm and then says that he is leaving her because he can’t stand to see her in harms way.  Aside from doing this and making unnatural faces of disgust, he’s only in the movie so that he can take his shirt of in the middle of a plaza in Italy.

Possibly the most ludicrous scene is when the Cullen family takes a vote as to whether or not they will turn Bella into a vampire despite Edward’s vehement protests not to.  They take a vote.  It’s completely insane that they would bring it to a vote.  If Edward doesn’t wanna do it, than he shouldn’t do it.  If one of the others does, than they should.  The only major apparent issue with being a vampire is that it ruins your soul.  What difference does that make?  Vampires live forever so their immortal souls would basically be useless anyway.  One of the characters remarks that it’s a hollow existence.  The Cullens seem to be living a pretty decent life, so I don’t see how it’s a “hollow existence.”

Basically, The Twilight Saga: New Moon is a complete waste of time.  I don’t understand how anyone can actually take this seriously.  The Twilight Saga: New Moon gets a 2.5/10.

Unlike the rest of the films in the series, The Terminator isn’t a pure action film.  The suspense building chase scenes are reminiscent of scenes from Halloween and the makeup used for the battle-scarred Terminator nearly resembles that of Michael Myers.  I love the rest of the series (except maybe Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines) but there’s something about the suspense of the first in the series that really sets the tone for the overall horror of the series.

Schwarzenegger performs wonderfully as the emotionless Terminator and Michael Biehn is excellent as the first installment of Kyle Reese.  Linda Hamilton sets the tone for the character of Sarah Conneo and is no slouch.

The special effects are tremendous for a film made in 1984.    The animatrons are fantastically realistic despite the somewhat choppy movements.

My only complaints about the film is that is somewhat slow moving and that everything is somewhat unexplained.  Since it isn’t a pure action film, there are a lot of slow talking scenes that don’t really do much for the plot other than to build suspense.  Also, I feel like the first hour goes without any exposition, which for someone with no prior knowledge of the series can be very confusing.

Despite being over 20 years old, The Terminator still holds up to today’s standards.  The Terminator gets an 8.5/10.