Three Blind Mice

Starring: Edward Furlong, Emilia Fox, & Chiwetel Ejiofor
Rating: 1 1/2 out of 5 stars

How would I describe this film? Choppy, confusing, ridiculous, and done! The story is simple, a young guy witnesses a murder on a webcam site, which leads back to a group of millionaires, who pay to witness real murders on the web. That we know, but the big question becomes whose behind it? Who cares?! By the time you get to the "who done it", you're head is spinning and you don't know what the fuck is going on anymore! I rented this thing, for one reason, Edward Furlong. He is one of my favorite actors. When he was younger, he was in huge movies like Terminator 2 and American History X. Since then he's flown way under the radar, doing mostly direct-to-video films, many of them winners. While Eddie was great, the writing and directing of this film is such that you're bored, confused, and finally just fed up and frustrated.

Meskada

Starring: Nick Stahl, Jonathan Tucker, & Rachel Nichols
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Meskada is another direct-to-video feature I knew nothing about ahead of time. I choose it because the story sounded interesting and I love the cast. In these cases, the film is usually hit or miss, with no in-between. In the case of Meskada, it's definitely a hit! The story follows a local detective, investigating the death of a child, during a home invasion. What makes Meskada different from the rest is that 15 minutes into the film, you know who did it and why, it's not a mystery. Nick Stahl who I usually don't like and Jonathan Tucker who I've always liked are both fantastic in this film. It's roles that neither is really used to playing and both stepped up to the challenge. The story wasn't all that strong, but the acting was, and what I really liked about this film is how it came at a common story in an unconventional way. It's defiantly worth checking out!

Annapolis

Starring: James Franco, Tyrese Gibson, & Jordana Brewster
Rating: 4 1/2 out of 5 stars

Even thou he was in several things before Annapolis, I consider this to be James Franco's breakthrough role. Just the training and studying alone, must have been as intense as the film itself. Franco plays Jake Huard, a first year student at the Naval academy. The story takes you inside one the hardest and most secretive schools in America, showing you just what it takes to even make it past your first year. The story itself is very inspirational and the acting is top notch. This isn't just a good film, it's one that you know took a lot out of everyone involved. I was entertained, excited, and inspired by an underdog who just wouldn't give up. This is a tremendous film that fell under the radar, because of a then, unknown cast, but it really is a must see for fans of inspirational, military and sports dramas.

Rise of The Planet of The Apes

Starring: James Franco, Andy Serkis, & John Lithgow
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Two stars is generous for this film! I didn't really want to see this overhyped prequel, but my friends felt otherwise, and we went. For the first 40 minutes, the movie actually has a plot, is on genre, and was surprisingly good! Unfortunately, it goes way downhill from there. As the apes get smarter, the reality of the film decreases, and gets to the point where it becomes laughable. I loved the first half, but by the end of the film, I couldn't wait for it to end. First time director, Rupert Wyatt, really doesn't know when enough is enough! Some of the scenes just went on and on, and of course, they were the more ridiculous ones. Andy Serkis, who played the main ape, did a nice job with what must have been a difficult role. I give him props for that, but it's a good performance wasted in a ridiculous film, that was much too long, one that eventually becomes a farce of itself. Seriously, ignore the hype and save your money, this film is a waste of time.

Casino (1995)

Starring: Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone, & Joe Pesci
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Scorsese's epic true story about how the mafia build Vegas, is as close to a perfect movie as I have ever seen! The story is just so good and you will be hard pressed to ever find a better pair of performances than the ones by Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci. I love this film, I loved it the first time I saw it, and I loved it the hundredth time I saw it. Casino follows a pair of gangsters who earned their reputations in Las Vegas in two very different ways. De Niro is Ace Rothstein, the man with the plan. He always made money, but since he was Jewish, he was never fully trusted. Pesci is of course, Nicky Santoro, the tough guy who says fuck seven thousand times, while doing things his own way. Everything about this movie is pure genius. It's on my top ten list and I suspect will always have its place.

Summer of Fear (1996)

Starring: Gregory Harrison, Corin Nemec, & David Gallagher
Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars

I added this movie to the queue, even thou I knew nothing about it, because I love the cast. Summer of Fear is based on the novel, Simon Says, and was a TV movie, and therein lies the problem. This story is amazing and would have made a great feature film, however they had to censor it and dumb it down big time for TV. Corky Nemec and Gregory Harrison were both amazing. I've always enjoyed both of them and together they had fantastic chemistry. Summer of Fear is a very entertaining story that will throw you a few twists. Despite never reading the novel, I'm willing to bet it goes further and is more direct than the movie was. It was a great cast and I definitely enjoyed the film, but it should have been so much more.

Jackass 3.5

Starring: Johnny Knoxville, Bam Margera, and Steve-O
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

With Jackass, most people know what they're getting by now. What I've always loved about this series is how simplistically genius it is. They seem like a bunch of crazy, drunken idiots, but they actually plan and put a lot of work into each and every stunt. What I like about 3.5 is that for the first time, they really show you what's going on behind the scenes. They show you what it's like to be on the set and what goes into the things they do, with in depth interviews, and behind the scenes footage. They also start to go into a different direction, going from the usual stunts and gross outs to pranks and practical jokes, which are utterly hilarious. This is billed as the direct-to-video extra scenes movie, but it's actually a lot more and I really enjoyed this one a lot more than Jackass 3D.

Bruno

Starring: Sacha Baron Cohen
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

It's Bruno! The latest character from Sacha Baron Cohen. Cohen is of course known for Borat and being outrageous. He goes so far in this film, that he was actually arrested 3 times while filming it, Bruno however doesn't live up to Borat. Borat was one of those movies. that you can watch over and over again. and it was still funny, Bruno isn't like that. The first time around, it's pretty funny, even thou the constant gay jokes and references to anal and oral sex gets old, fast. When it came out on DVD and I watched it again, I wasn't as impressed by it. The third time, even less so. Bruno is raunchy and good for some laughs and shock value the first time you see it, but after that it loses everything. This is the kind of movie you should rent, but definitely not buy.

I Am Number Four

Starring: Alex Pettyfer, Diana Agron, & Callan McAuliffe
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I Am Number Four, was everything I expected and more, I was completly blown away. It is a refreshingly original story about 9 aliens hiding on Earth, from the creatures who destroyed their home planet. These 9 have special powers that threaten these creatures, and they have set out to kill them, but for some unknown reason, must do it in order. Alex Pettyfer is Number Four and the next one in line. Pettyfer was absolutely incredible, having come such a long way since his last major role as Alex Rider. Newcomer Callan McAuliffe is also very likeable as sidekick Sam. I've never seen him in anything before, but he gives the story an added bonus and much needed side story. Many critics bashed this film, saying it was an alien version of Twilight, but it couldn't be further from the truth. I Am Number Four isn't focused on the love aspect, a lot of action occurs and the story actually progresses, and this film isn't dark and narrow minded, the way the Twilight films have been. I Am Number Four kept my attention and interest throughout. I connected to the story and the characters as well as the actors, and I have no problem saying it is one of the best Science Fiction films I have a seen in years! ...and for those who feel the same way, the book sequel, The Power of Six will be released on August 23, and with any luck will hit the big screen next summer.

Boss of Bosses

Starring: Chazz Palminteri, Clancy Brown, & Angela Alvarado
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Boss of Bosses is a little known made for TV movie. Despite the fact that it is a different cast and crew, it was intended as a prequel, to 1996's Gotti, telling the story of Paul Castellano. Castellano was known as the brains behind the mafia's 1980's re-emergence. He believed more in white collar crime, than in organized crime. Castellano was old school and a smart man, the film portrays him as such, but it also tries to play down the fact that he was a criminal who stole millions and hurt a lot of people. Chazz Palminteri was amazing, he was made for roles like this, and shines once again as a hardened, but loveable criminal. As for the film, it's apparently very accurate, and tells you a lot about a private man, that we generally don't hear much about. I enjoyed it quite a bit. The fact that it was made for TV and lacked the nudity and the F bombs, didn't really matter, it was still a very enjoyable film and an excellent companion to Gotti.

The People Under The Stairs

Starring: Brandon Adams, Ving Rhames, & A.J. Langer
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

From Wes Craven comes The People Under The Stairs. A lovely little story about a young man who breaks into his landlords mansion, only to find that he and his wife are crazy. They have a habit of punishing their children, by cutting out the bad parts and holding them prisoner under the basement stairs. It's a very original story, unfortunately the cast is so bad, that the film becomes more of a farce than a horror film. Brandon Adams plays Fool, the lead, and he is just plain bad. The parents on the other hand were completely hilarious, but I'm not sure it was done on purpose. There are a few funny lines thrown in, but I found them to be hilarious throughout the entire movie. Overall I found the story to be very original, but I just didn't see it as scary, it was more a comedy to me. I didn't get what Craven was going for and therefore I can only say the film was ok.

Monthly Poll

In July, I asked you what your favorite Disney movie was.

94 of you answered

....and the overwhelming winner is

Finding Nemo!

The poll question for August is...

August is the month for Leo's...so what's your favorite Leonardo DiCaprio movie?

Shutter Island

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Ben Kingsley, & Mark Ruffalo
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

"Is it better to live as a monster or to die as a good man?" That is the last line in this mind bending thriller from Martin Scorsese. It perfectly describes this film, which I can honestly say is one of the smartest and most savvy films I have ever seen. Leonardo DiCaprio gives his best performance to date. I've seen a lot of DiCaprio, since Titanic, we all have, and this is by far the best he's ever been. How he didn't win an Academy Award for this role is beyond me! The story is very strong and very smart. It's evident that they took their time with this one, in order to get every detail right. The ending is of course the best part. It leaves you scratching your head, going over everything you've just seen and keeps you thinking for hours. No matter how many times you see this movie, you'll always pick up on something new, each and every time. It was an amazing movie and I can't recommend it enough!