The I Inside

Starring: Ryan Phillippe, Sarah Polley, & Piper Perabo

Rating: 2 1/2 out of 5 stars

Imagine waking up in the hospital after an accident, not knowing what happened, and then realizing that it's two years later than you thought it was. That is the dilemma faced by Simon Cable in The I Inside. This ambitious thriller has you piecing together the puzzle along side it's star Ryan Phillippe. The I Inside jumps around, far too much, between past, present, and future to tell it's story, a story that you really won't care about. It's a very uninteresting tale, that is told to you a piece at a time and to be honest, that's why you watch the film. It's confusing and not very good, but once you've invested the time, you want to know what happens. Ryan Phillippe was Brilliant as Simon Cable, proving that it really isn't all about the looks, he can act too, but again it's wasted talent in a very uninteresting tale. Phillippe is paired with Sarah Polley, who I absolutely love, the fact that she was in this film, is what put it on my radar, but she easily gives the worst performance of her career. Yes, the story wasn't very well written, but if everyone had put the energy into their roles that Phillippe did, the film would have at least had some credibility. The films Director, Roland Richter, was directing his first film in the United States. I don't know about movies in Germany, but here in the United States, if you're going to release a jumpy, confusing film, you'd had better make the story worth while. Richter fails to do that and the result is a slow, confusing film, that has you asking, "is that it? Really?" The I Inside is unique and will make you think, but the story being told, really isn't worth the time it takes to piece it all together.

Stolen (2012)

Starring: Nicolas Cage, Malin Akerman, & Josh Lucas

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Whenever I see Nicolas Cage's name on a movie poster, I know that no matter the film, I'm going to see a great performance. While Cage has done every conceivable genre, he is of course best know for his action films. In Stolen, Cage once again teams with his Director from Con Air, Simon West, to give us another exciting thriller. Cage plays Will Montgomery, a career criminal who has just spent eight years in prison. Montgomery comes out wanting to start a new life, but that's put on hold when he learns that a former enemy has kidnapped his daughter and is holding her for ransom. I guess no one has ever told Nicolas Cage that you're supposed to slow down with age, because he is just as good in this movie as he is in all his other films. Cage, notorious for performing his own stunts, does some amazing things in this film and is of course pure intensity. In this film he's paired with Josh Lucas who was in a film by the same title in 2009, not to be confused with that movie, Lucas plays Montgomery's partner in crime and throughout this film you can see him and Cage feed off of one another, too me, that was the best part. Lets be honest here, rarely do action films have a decent story to distinguish themselves from one another. Stolen is no different, a daughter in peril, held by a weird foul mouthed bad guy, who is being chased by a want to be hero with a less than stellar reputation, you've seen this dozens of times.  What makes Stolen stand out from those other films is the cast, it's as simple as that. The cast really keeps you interested, even when the movie gets to be predictable and even when the stunts are impossible, the cast keep bringing you back to the edge of your seat, with their great performances and extreme intensity. For that reason, even though this is a familiar and predictable film, Stolen stood out from all the other action films I've seen lately.

Ladybugs

Starring: Rodney Dangerfield, Jonathan Brandis, & Jackee Harry

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

We all have our own guilty pleasure, most of them we never admit to, however I will admit one now. I have loved this movie ever since I was a kid. Now that I've watched it as an adult, I can admit that it is one terrible movie, but it still had me laughing as hard as I did when I was 10 years old. In Ladybugs, Rodney Dangerfield plays a salesman who is asked to coach his company sponsored, girls soccer team, but he had no idea what he was in for. The other coaches are ruthless, the parents are insane, and worst of all his team is terrible, so what is a comedian to do? He gets his girlfriends, athletic, 14 year old son to dress up as a girl and join the team. The son is played by teen heartthrob Jonathan Brandis, who I became a huge fan of during the show Seaquest DSV. Brandis was absolutely hysterical as the teenage son, playing a teenage daughter. Some of his lines, along with his interactions with Dangerfield are pure comic genius. As for Dangerfield, while he was a legendary stand-up comedian, he was a terrible actor. The next logical step for a great stand-up comic is acting, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, and while Dangerfield has some pretty funny lines, he is one of the worst acting comedians I have ever seen. The story here is a unique and interesting one, in a context that is most definitely not meant for younger kids. There are some funny lines and more laughs to be had at the ridiculousness of the situation, but besides that, this is not a great movie. I gave it an even rating, but when it comes to this film, I am biased by my admiration for the late Jonathan Brandis and my fondness for this film I have loved, since my childhood.

The Task

Starring: Alexandra Staden, Texas Battle, & Adam Rayner

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

From the companies that brought you Horrorfest, comes the Task, a unique story with a twist. I really liked how ambitious the Task was and just what lengths it went to in order to try and trick the audience. It's unusal to find good writing or much of anything that isn't predictable in a film like this, and I really didn't expect it to be as entertaining as it was. This unique story begins with seven people being kidnapped and brought to a remote location to compete in a reality TV show, that combines Survivor, Fear Factor, and Ghost Hunters. The game requires the contests to spend one night locked in an abandon prison, with a seedy reputation. The contests must complete the tasks that are put in front of them to win a large cash award. The contests were as different as can be leading to a fantastic dynamic between them, it's a shame they didn't build on that dynamic and show more interaction between characters, that only would have added to the story. The cast, as usual, is mostly newcomers, but talented newcomers, who do an excellent job in making this story believable. A movie like the Task really comes down to the cast, because if they're not believable the movie ends up being only good for a few laughs. The cast was good, the plot was great, but what really put the film over the top was it's terrific ending, which was very reminiscent of another Lionsgate classic, Saw. It's an ending you shouldn't see coming, but one that really brings the whole thing together.

Harry Potter & The Prisoner of Azkaban

Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, & Emma Watson

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

In year three, our cast of unique and magical characthers have to deal with a new threat, an escaped prisoner, from Azkaban Prison, who seems to want to kill Harry Potter. Azkaban was a return to the magical formula that made Harry Potter legendary. The story here is suburb and unlike the Chamber of Secrets, it isn't dummied down or rushed for us. New elements are introduced such as the secret map and time travel, but perhaps most important of all we finally see Harry demonstrate some of this incredible power that has led to his fame at Hogwarts. The story was terrific, the action was great, the performances were off the chart, and the childish stuff was kept to a minimum, but was Azkaban perfect? Many critics will tell you that this is the best of the Potter films and it was terrific, but personally I was hoping to see more of the world outside of Hogwarts. I was looking forward to possibly seeing the inside of Azkaban prison and some of the people who are locked up there. While I appreciate the different views and new filming location, it was still centered at Hogwarts. Not a bad thing, but personally I'd have liked to have seen something else. Aside from that, new Director, Alfonso Cuaron, does use parts of the story that were excluded in the previous films, he also does give us a new location, and view of things. Overall, Cuaron really does do a tremendous job, making this film geared more toward young adults than children. Azkaban is much closer to being what J.K. Rowling intended than the Chamber of Secrets was. I absolutely loved this film, there are just some parts of this film that are truly amazing. If you're picky like I am, and are only going to give Harry Potter one shot, then I suggest the film you watch is The Prisoner of Azkaban.

Harry Potter & The Chamber of Secrets

Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, & Emma Watson

Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars

My adventure into the world of Harry Potter continues with the Chamber of Secrets. While I enjoyed the film, I didn't think it was as good as the Sorcerer's Stone, as typical of most sequels. In the Chamber of Secrets, we see Harry return for his second year at the Hogwart's School of Wizardery. In year two, students are being attacked, and Dumbledorf knows why. The legendary Chamber of Secrets has been open and a mythological creatures has been released. Harry and his friends have to find out who opened it and why before they are able to do anything about it. This story wasn't as mysterious or edge of your seat as the last adventure was, and I found some parts of it to be downright childish. What I enjoyed about the first film was that for all it has for kids, it had an equal amount of content that adults would enjoy. In the Chamber of Secrets, that element has been replaced with things like giant talking spiders, flying cars, and worst of all Dobby the troll. The story was pretty good, but it wasn't as refreshing as the last film, the cast was once again terrific, but the Chamber of Secrets seemed to be much more like a kids movie to me and for that reason was kind of a disappointment.

Update!

Hey guys! Well... That time is upon me, the dreaded end of the school year, which means, finals, papers, allergies, and mass hysteria! Unfortunatley, that doesn't leave me a lot of time to watch movies, so that's why I haven't updated in a while. Don't worry though, I will be back soon, until then here are some recommendations to keep you busy for a while!

Movies:

Bones (2010), Repeaters, Soul Men, Jumper, The Thirteenth Floor

TV Shows:

Bates Motel, The Killing, The Event, The Commish, The Riches

Books:

I Am Number Four, Thirteen Days To Midnight, The Power of Six, Catching Fire, Ender's Game

I hope that helps! If you do check these out and find something you love, please be sure and let me know on Twitter! That's right, we're on Twitter too! @tss5078 - #theultimatemoviereview. Until then, please check out the links, tell your friends to follow us, and check us out on Facebook & Twitter! Thanks guys, see ya soon!