The Brave One

*** Stars

The Brave one is an excruciatingly difficult film to watch. I saw this on a Sunday afternoon and lets say I ended the weekend on a rather strange note. However, Jodie Foster and Terrence Howard are two great actors at the top of their game in this brutal drama about one woman who loses herself throughout the entire film.

Erica Bain (Foster) is getting married. She is madly in love with him. Now of course in a drama like this, even if you haven't seen the trailer, you know that things can't end happy. So what happens next? Her and her loving fiance are brutally attacked, leaving Erica badly wounded and her fiancé dead.

When she recovers, she doesn't leave her apartment because she is afraid of the outside world. After a long time in solitude, she hits the streets again, but buys a gun in the process. She begins to prowl the streets at night, putting justice to those who are responsible for her beating. This puts her on a violent killing spree, one she may never get out of. She befriends a NYPD detective (Terrence Howard) who is on her case. He is unaware that Erica is actually the one committing these acts.

Director Neil Gordan (Breakfast on Pluto) executes stunning camera work here, giving us a haunted tale of brutality and a vast emptiness. The movie is fast paced and extremely interesting to watch. The plot however, goes from confusing, to convoluted, to insane. Still, this is such an interesting character study with such great performances from the two leads, that they dig a hole you won't be able to crawl out from.

3:10 to Yuma

**** Stars

Another four star review, and I'm loving every minute of it.

Russell Crowe and Christian Bale are two of the finest actors on the planet, both giving Oscar caliber performances in one of the best westerns I have seen in recent memory.

The story is beautiful, poetic, and staggeringly exciting. James Mangold (director of the great Walk the Line) brings back the western genre with such urgency and respect that it deserves to be a bonafide box office crowd pleaser.

Dan Evans (Bale), a civil war survivor turned rancher struggles to support family during a long drought, which extremely hurts his ranch. He takes a job to transport the evil outlaw Benjamin Wade (Crowe), the most notorious gangster of them all. Once the two meet, the criminal tries to tempt him into giving him more money then the job intends to give him. Obviously Evans is tempted, but he is determined to send this ruthless man to the Yuma prison.

The movie works dramatically in addition to being a flawless entertainment. I have never seen the original Yuma (which I will watch very soon) but to me this a original piece of cinema that brings us closer to balance with this years trilogy curse (Spidey 3, Shrek 3, Rush Hour 3 etc...) and hopefully this is not the last time Crowe and Bale unite. This is the duo of the year.

In The Valley of Elah

***1/2 Stars

What baffles me about our country's choice in movies is the evidence pertaining to films that either strike gold at the box-office or plummet into oblivion. For example, we had Meet the Spartans (a film only eight year olds seeing their first PG-13 movie ever would enjoy) open strongly at $18.5 million. This is a film that ads further proof to our obsession with celebrity gossip and pointless gags, where In the Valley of Elah is a hard-hitting-slam-dunk of timely importance. What's its total domestic gross? $6 million.

I wonder how the cast & crew felt about their film's result. Director Paul Haggis has already been getting negative backlash for his Best Picture win with Crash. For those mad that Brokeback didn't win, I understand your loss, but Haggis is not responsible for the Academy's choice (even though I believe it was the right one). ITVOE's $6 million opening probably comes from the speculation before its opening. The buzz was not good. People did not want to see Haggis succeed again, even though out of all the post 9/11 films, this one was the critical favorite. Tommy Lee Jones played a big part in its artistic success.

Jones is perfectly cast as Hank Deerfield, an army veteran whose son is stationed over in Iraq. What makes this performance so strong is Jones commitment to authenticity and simplicity. The film begins with Hank living his everyday life. He wakes up, eats breakfast, puts up the American Flag, fixes his truck, does errands, and spends time with his wife (played by the emotional Susan Sarandon). This is an American, one who understands reality but also expects something in return. When his son disappears after returning home from the Iraq War, Hank soon discovers that serving your country is not what it used to be. His son was murdered, in a way no parent should witness. With the help of local Detective Emily Sanders (Charlize Theron), Hank journey's back to try and discover the hidden truth behind his son's heartbreaking death.

The relationship between Jones and Theron's characters is more complex than we would expect. Theron is not just a detective trying to get ahead. Her life is explored through the case of Hank's son. The case not only affects her work, but also her role as a mother. There is a touching scene where Hank tells a story to her son about where David battled Goliath, right in the valley of Elah.

Out of all the Iraq War films, I would say this one is the most sincere. Not for one second does this film promote anti-American propaganda. Haggis and company show their love for what our country stands for. However, they, along with myself, just want those running it to give us a sign that we truly are a land of the free and home of the brave. There's a scene where Hank is driving past a school and notices that the American flag is upside down. He tells the janitor who put the flag up (he is of Spanish decent) that it’s a distress code, signifying that our nation is under duress. Should Hank leave it the way it is?

Superbad

**** Stars

What we have here is the Dazed and Confused for this generation.

It's that good. Between Knocked Up and Superbad, we have what's missing in today's comedies, and his name is Seth Rogan. Based on his own high school experience, Rogan perfectly captures the awkwardness, frustration, and beauty of high school, the days that we all miss dearly. (Example: the only thing they worry about is how to get booze for that night's party or if they can get laid, instead of serious issues involving politics, war, and murder. If only that would last our whole lives...)

Two co-dependent high school guys (played by Jonah Hill and Michael Cera, who's characters names are the two writers of the movie, Seth and Even) want to hook up with girls before they graduate and go off to different colleges, but, after a monumental night just trying to buy alcohol for a school party, overcoming their separation anxiety becomes a greater challenge than getting the girls.

Behind the gut-busting laughter is also the reason why this is a comedy classic, and that is its reality towards the situation it puts itself in. We all went through exactly what these guys have, trying to find booze, where none of this would happen if they would just lower the drinking age to 18 so kids can live out their lives the way they choose to live it.

Rush Hour 3

1/2 Star

I walk out on about one movie a year, Rush Hour 3 is this year's winner.

About 31 minutes into this film, I realized that there was no reason to see the end of this film, because the plot is so obvious and so familiar that it would just be more brain cells lost for me.

Now I'm a fan of Rush Hour and even Rush Hour 2. I found them to be escapist fun. Here, that fun has completely vanished. So I left the theater, knowing I could still get my money's worth with The Bourne Ultimatum playing right next door.

The Bourne Ultimatum

**** Stars

In a summer of threequels that have mostly failed or have just had moderate success, The Bourne Ultimatum makes every movie this summer look like a cartoon that was rejected from PBS. Not only is this the best movie of the summer, but it may be one of the best action films of the decade.

All Jason Bourne (the always terrific Matt Damon) ever wanted to do was to disappear. Instead, he is one of the most hunted men of his time, and he still doesn't know why. Having lost his memory and the one person he loved, he is undeterred by the barrage of bullets and a new generation of highly-trained killers. Bourne has only one objective: to go back to the beginning and find out who he was. Bourne will hunt down his past in order to find a future. He must travel from Moscow, Paris and London to Tangier and New York City as he continues his quest to find the real Jason Bourne--all the while trying to outmaneuver the scores of cops, federal officers and Interpol agents with him in their cross hairs. Who is Jason Bourne and what has he done? Where did this all begin? The ending will literally blow you away.

The Bourne films just keep getting better and better. Coming of his Oscar Nomination for Best Director with United 93, director Paul Greengrass (who also directed the sequel The Bourne Supremacy) doesn't miss a beat.

Last year's Casino Royale upped the ante to the espionage genre, and this film beats it right back. I guarantee this film will have a spot on my top ten list of films this year as one of summer's best films.

The Simpsons Movie

*** Stars

Thank god this movie doesn't suck.

In fact, the Simpsons Movie is one of the best Simpsons episodes in quite some time. But also with that, it's just a long Simpsons episode. But there is certainly nothing wrong with that. Homer is up to his usual tricks and still manages to bring laughter to all of its fans. The first 30 minutes are hilarious in its own screwball, political way. The Plot: the city of Springfield orders a clean up of the polluted Lake Springfield and bans waste dumps there. However, someone forgot to tell Homer Simpson that, and when he dumps a silo of "Pig Crap" in it, he inadvertently dooms Springfield, his family, and himself.

Homer Simpsons must be the only character in the world that can destroy his town from his pig's crap. And with that, it's pure genius.

The films does lose its steam at the end, slowing down the side splitting laughs, but it does show the struggles and misfortunes of a typical American Family who think they all want different things, but can't stand to be away from one another no matter what.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

*** Stars

Harry Potter is getting older. And in this film, you can tell.

It is clear now that no one but Daniel Radcliffe can be Harry Potter. His performance is stronger in every film and here the film knows it. This is a movie for Harry and by Harry.

As his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry approaches, 15-year-old Harry Potter is like any other young teenager, complete with regular outbursts of rage, a high school crush, and rebelling against the establishment. It's been yet another infuriating and boring summer with the despicable Dursleys, who in the beginning found him on the porch of their house, took him in and treated him like total scum. Harry is feeling especially edgy at the lack of news from the magic world, wondering when the freshly revived evil Lord Voldemort will strike.

When he returns to Hogwarts, Harry sees that things are no longer the same. Hermione Granger (Emma Thomson) and Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) are back along side Harry as all three get older and wiser, but this time Hermoine and Ron seem to be in the background and are only there when Harry needs him.

But it sort of works well that way here. This part of the series, from what I've seen is Harry's transition into something much worse and hateful and the film realizes that it needs to show this part through the eyes of him and not his friends.

I have just started to read the Harry Potter Series, so I don't know what's missing from this film, but as a person who has yet to read the Order of the Phoenix, I still find this Potter flick a success. Although I'm sure some readers must be missing a lot of their favorite moments given that this book is the longest of them all (pushing 800 pages) and the film version is the shortest of them all (2 Hours 18 Minutes).

Live Free or Die Hard

*** Stars

John McClane is back with a bang...

Bruce Willis has brought back to life the role that made him a star. Pushing 60 years old has not stopped him from kicking total ass.

On the July 4th holiday, an attack on the vulnerable United States infrastructure begins to shut down the entire nation. The mysterious figure behind the scheme known as Thomas Gabriel (Timothy Olyphant) has figured out every modern angle to prevent anyone from damaging his plan, convoluted as it is. Still, it does give us a taste of what the world is rapidly becoming...a technological nightmare. Our greatest inventions could very soon become our downfall. A perfectly cast Justin Long plays Matt Farrell, a tech-nerd who buddies up with McClane to help him stop this meltdown.

Willis rocks the screen with his old-school attitude and macho sense of invincibility. Sure McClane looks like Superman at some points, (especially when he outruns an F-18 with an eighteen wheel semi), but the action is non stop and has lots of fun with its stunts. In the words of the television edited version of Die Hard...Yippee Ki Yay Melon Farmer.

Ratatouille

***1/2 Stars

The geniuses from Pixar Animation are some sort of collaboration put together by God to save a genre that has been struggling to survive. Of course old Disney classics like The Lion King, Peter Pan, Oliver and Company, Alladin, and others included are no longer existent, but because of Pixar, a new generation of classic films are being created for both children and adults alike. Ratatouille is another worthy addition to the library of Disney's hall of fame.

Director Brad Bird (The Incredibles) is bringing a new level to animation, as he swiftly blends classic story telling with artistic beauty. In every frame, the audience is dazzled by the movements and small touches he puts in, especially when the story is in the kitchen. Rats in a kitchen never looked so good.

The story is in fact about rats doing something good in this world. Is that a hypocrisy or what? Well, if you can escape away from reality, you will be able to believe the premise. The plot revolves around Remy, a rat who dreams of becoming a great French chef like his mentor Chef Auguste Gusteau. When Remy is tired of eating plain and old garbage, he tries to spice up his appetite with some new ingredients. When he accidentally gets caught stealing spices by an old lady, his entire tribe who lives above her house must flee. While escaping, Remy ends up in the sewer under Gusteau's famous restaurant. Even though completely socially unaccepted, Remy will stop at nothing to make his dreams become reality and enters Gusteau's kitchen to find what's missing in his life. Yes, apparently rats do indeed have a dream. I was waiting for Martin Luther King to appear in rat form to appropriately give a speech.

Artistically, Ratatouille is perfect. It has the scope of Finding Nemo and the brains of a brilliant creator. In fact at some points, it almost felt too sophisticated for a Disney film. Many children may not pick up on several of the hidden references to French culture and a culinary atmosphere. But as always, Pixar always sends a great message in their pictures, with Ratatouille telling us never to give up on a dream even if people don't take you seriously. Even the villain in this film, a food critic voiced by the legendary Peter O'Toole, has his humanistic side as well, who is reminded of why he entered his career in the first place. Director Brad Bird is becoming the D.W Griffith of animated films.

Hairspray

**1/2 Stars

Before reading my review, you should know that I usually don't enjoy musicals (adapted from a play) on the big screen because they belong on the stage (Alright, there has been a few exceptions with Sweeney Todd, Fiddler on the Roof, and a couple other miscellaneous ones). When seeing a musical, the excitement comes from seeing it live so your imagination can bring out the story. The reason why the others have worked is because they have a better story and theme that are better suited for film. Sweeney Todd was a revenge film with a movie star (Johnny Depp) and Fiddler on the Roof was a historical drama involving themes of a religion and an era. With the film version Hairspray, it has way to much energy for being stuck behind a movie screen. I enjoyed it to a point, and that point sadly had me wishing I saw it on Broadway first.

Now if you're just obsessed with musicals, then this is your summer cure. It will have you tapping your feet begging for more. But like I said, if you are not into musicals, this is your kryptonite. So where do I stand? Well, about right in the middle. I think Broadway is a wonderful experience that should be seen by all and Hairspray has been a huge success on Broadway. But as a film, it's hard for me to sit in a theater watching the stage-energy that should be left to the stage itself.

At least the the film has a great cast, including Christopher Walken, Queen Latifah, Amanda Bynes, Michelle Phieffer, newcomer Nikki Blonsky, and John Travolta as Blonsky's fat mother (this is worth the price of admission just to see this wonderfully weird portrayal). It takes place in 1962 surrounding teenager Tracy Turnblad (Blonsky) and her family (Walken and Travolta play the parents). Tracy and her friend Penny Pingleton (the beautiful Amanda Bynes) are obsessed with the Corny Collins show. So when the show offers a chance for any young gal to dance on the show, Tracy wants in. Now Tracy may be an overweight girl, but she has the moves that will have you smiling all the way through. Her heart throb Link Larkin (High School musical sensation Zac Efron) is quickly attracted to her skills and the two become quite close. Now in a musical, the rule is that there is always a villain. Velma von Tussle (Phieffer) the shows manager hates the fact the Tracy was picked to dance on the show (Tussle's daughter Amber has been the star forever) and will stop at nothing to get her off it, even if that means ruining the sanctity of Tracy's parents marriage.

Maybe I'm being a scrooge with this review, but I think my only regret was I didn't get to experience the play first. If that had occurred, this could have been a wonderful reminder of that experience. Instead, I have to settle for a reminder of something I never had.

Transformers

*** Stars

Transformers is a loud, lame, and crazy adventure of a robotic world joining ours into the biggest war the universe has ever seen. And from that, the movie still totally rocks.

Director Michael Bay still lacks the brains for a great story, but he can sure dazzle the screen with the visuals. And with a franchise and story like Transformers, it is a pitch-perfect match. The Earth is caught in the middle of an intergalactic war between two races of robots, the heroic Autobots and the evil Decepticons, which are able to change into a variety of objects, including cars, trucks, planes and other technological creations.

Bay knows his audience...BOYS. He knows not to take this too serious. This a movie that will bring out your ten year old side and will make you want to run out and play with these toys all over again. The cast does a fine job in front of the green screen, and Shia LaBeouf steals the show who is rapidly becoming a truly fine actor. Could he become the next Tom Hanks?

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer

** Stars

The Fantastic Four is just plainly an awful series. It is neither inventive, nor exciting and it can be defined as a flimsy, bombastic piece of junk. As the Silver Surfer races around the globe wreaking havoc, Reed, Sue, Johnny and Ben must unravel the mystery of the Silver Surfer and confront the surprising return of their mortal enemy, Dr. Doom, before all hope is lost. The Fantastic Four is almost anything but fantastic.

1408

*** Stars

In a summer of sequels, 1408 stands out on its own, being one of the few pleasant surprises of the season. John Cusack leads the film into an effective and haunting piece of cinema that ranks with the better Stephen King adaptations including The Shining.

Mike Enslin (Cusack), a famous ghost story writer doesn't believe in his own words. He only believes what he can see and has no proof of any supernatural experiences, until he checks into suite 1408 of the notorious Dolphin Hotel for his latest project, "Ten Nights in Haunted Hotel Rooms." Defying the warnings of the hotel manager (another inspired performance by Samuel L. Jackson), Enslin is the first person in years to stay in the supposedly haunted room and will try to be the only survivor of room 1408.

Now the premise of this story is totally bogus. What hotel would still be in operation after fifty-six deaths in the same room? Wouldn't there be an investigation involving the staff? Still, in its own little world, 1408 doesn't fall for its own tricks by drawing out ridiculous scenarios of a man who overcomes a string of ghosts. Instead, director Mikael Hafstrom lets Cusack take control by showing how these occurrences affect him personally with his work and his past. This is the best horror film of 2007.

Ocean's Thirteen

*** Stars

Ocean's Thirteen is one of the best movies you will want to see on a plane. It makes time go by so easily that I'm sure going to miss hanging out with people who bring back the elegance of being cool.

It's time for Ocean and his boys to defend one of their own. Ruthless casino owner Willy Bank (Al Pacino) never imagined that the odds were against him when he double-crossed Danny Ocean’s friend and mentor Reuben Tishkoff, putting the distraught Reuben in a hospital bed in critical condition. So the boys take Bank down on the night of what should be his greatest triumph--the grand opening of his new casino, appropriately named The Bank.

The film just has an enormous sense of style. The third time around for these guys still show that the audience can have as much fun as the guys who made the film.

Let's Get Lost

*** Stars

This documentary about jazz trumpeter-singer Chet Baker shows footage from the 1950s, when he was part of West Coast Cool, and from his last years. We see the young Baker, he of the beautiful face, in California and in Italy, where he appeared in at least one movie and at least one jail cell for drug possession. And, we see the aged Baker a lost man with a physical feature of skeleton proportions.

I knew little of Chet Baker heading into the film. I did learn a lot about his life and how he became so lost. At a run time of more than two hours, the movie earns its sentimental value, while sometimes failing to entertain.

Once

**** Stars

Once is an eighty-eight minute film about two people named guy and girl who hang out and play music. And with that, it is unlike any musical you have ever seen and is one of the best ever put on screen.

A Guitar player and song writer named 'The guy' works part-time helping his father run a small, vacuum cleaner repair business, but dreams of one day having his songs recorded and landing a record deal. Emotionally vulnerable after his split with his girlfriend, he meets 'the Girl', an Eastern European immigrant who has moved to Dublin to start a new life for herself. Currently working as a house cleaner in an upper-class residence, she is struggling financially. As the guy loves the guitar, the girl loves the piano. Their musical passions help them through their rough struggles in life.

This is the best film so far this year. It brings back the simplicity towards movie-making and how a few songs can show the beauty and elegance missing in the world today.

Mr. Brooks

**1/2 Stars

A serial killer movie needs two very important ingredients: a memorable performance by the lead and a solid script discussing his alter-ego. Kevin Costner delivers, but the movie does not.

Man of the Year Mr. Earl Brooks (Costner) he is an insatiable serial killer and has managed to keep his two sides from crossing paths. His wicked alter ego Marshall (William Hurt) wants Mr. Brooks for one last murderous urge. During the act, an amateur photographer witnesses the crime. (the script tries to make the curtains staying open a scary premise) Suddenly Brooks finds himself entangled between unlikely scenarios including being hunted by the completely underwritten detective Tracy Atwood (played by a dull Demi Moore). Brooks spends the rest of the movie trying to pass this wicked test and escape his past once and for all.

I like Costner in this movie. He explores some ranges of acting we haven't seen from him in a long time. But the movie starts from an interesting premise and falls flat into more and more preposterous scenes that lead to an ultimately unclimatic ending.

Knocked Up

***1/2 Stars

Judd Apatow became a hit writer after The Forty Year Old Virgin, one of the funniest films of 2005. Now two years later, with Knocked Up, he has proven to be more than just a one liner king. This has just as much laughs as Virgin, and also brings back why Rated R comedies can offer more than just vulgar gags. This film is as sweet as apple pie.

Allison Scott (Grey's Anatomy star Katherine Heigl) is an up-and-coming entertainment journalist whose 24-year-old life is on the fast track. But it gets seriously derailed when a drunken one-nighter with slacker Ben Stone (the brilliant Seth Rogen) results in an unwanted pregnancy. Faced with the prospect of going it alone or getting to know the baby's father, Allison decides to give the lovable doof a chance.

The film has a lively supporting cast, including Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann, who give relationship advice to Allison and Ben when their own marriage is falling apart. With some hilarious one-liners and perfect source material, Knocked Up brings back what's been missing in comedy: a script, and not money.

Pirates of the Carribean: At World's End

*** Stars

During his interview with Entertainment Weekly, director Gore Verbinski said he doesn't like movies that are perfect. "As long as there's chatter, then there's at least a kind of visceral response." Well Mr. Verbinski, I can safely say that your movie is not perfect, yet you can give the audience a movie that thrills.

If you don't know it already, I'm a huge sucker for the Pirate movies. All three are visually exciting and provide great popcorn entertainment. Though each one has steadily decreased in a story, the visuals and the weirdness of Johnny Depp's take on Jack Sparrow demands to be seen.

Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) are allied with Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) in a desperate quest to free Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) from his mind-bending trap in Davy Jones' locker. The Flying Dutchman and Davy Jones, under the control of the East India Trading Company, wreaks havoc across the Seven Seas. Navigating through treachery, betrayal and wild waters, they must forge their way to exotic Singapore and confront the cunning Chinese Pirate Sao Feng (Chow Yun-Fat). Now all must collide into one last epic battle to save the pirating waves of life.

Well, I think that's what happening. There is so much going on that you tend to lose track of things. But At World's End is better than Spiderman 3 because the film knows that the plot is beyond ludicrous. This is pirate eye-candy even if you think Jack Sparrow is gay or not.

To the extent, I really didn't mind that this movie was a mess. The last hour is a rousing spectacle, both for the eyes and heart. It makes the first two hours almost (I said almost) worth seeing in full and it brings the third Pirates movie to a spirited close.

P.S: Stay after the credits and it gives you insight on something that happens in the first scene of the movie.