Happy New Year!

Hey guys! I wanted to wish all our followes and visitors a very happy 2012. Personally and for the world, 2011 wasn't such a good year, but it was great for the Ultimate Movie Review, here are some facts and figures I thought you might be interest in.

The Ultimate Movie Review was founded in February 2011 since then...

- My reviews are now featured on Netflix, Flixster, GetGlue, Rotten Tomatoes, & IMDB
- This year (Minus a month) the blog had 9742 hits
- March was the best month with 1383 hits
- October was the worst with 470 hits
- The most read reviews were...
     5) Casino Royale
     4) Horrible Bosses
     3) Meet The Parents Trilogy
     2) Mambo Italiano
     1) The Girl Next Door

Thank you very much for all your support and here's looking forward to happy and healthy 2012!!!

The Top 30 Songs Played On My iPod in 2011

Along with movies, I have a passion for music, and people often ask me what's good? What am I listening to...and so on. Well, for all of you who are looking to rock out in the new year, here is my list of the top songs I played on my iPod in 2011!!!

30) Cage The Elephant - Tiny Little Robots
29) Audioslave - I Am The Highway
28) Alice In Chains - What The Hell Have I?
27) Alice In Chains - Angry Chair
26) Alice In Chains - Them Bones
25) Aerosmith - Just Push Play
24) AC/DC - You Shook Me All Night Long
23) Stone Temple Pilots - Trippin' On A Hole In A Paper Heart
22) Stone Temple Pilots - Wicked Garden
21) Stone Temple Pilots - Vasoline
20) Sick Puppies - My World
19) My Darkest Days - Set It On Fire
18) Hail The Villian - Take Back The Fear
17) Goo Goo Dolls - Only One
16) Foo Fighters - Alandria
15) Foo Fighters - All My Life
14) Cage The Elephant - James Brown
13) Madam Adam - Sex Ain't Love
12) Local H - Bound For The Floor
11) It's Alive! - Pieces
10) Hoobastank - Out of Control
9) Green Day - Jaded
8) Green Day - Welcome To Paradise
7) Stone Temple Pilots - Big Bang Baby
6) The Offspring - Have You Ever?
5) Foo Fighters - White Limo
4) Foo Fighters - Rope
3) Alice In Chains - No Excuses
2) Sick Puppies - Cancer
1) Foo Fighters - Bridge Burning

You can check out the rest of the stuff I'm listening to, adding, or recommending on my iLike page in the links section.

The Incredible Mrs. Ritchie

Starring: Gena Rowlands, Kevin Zegers, & James Caan
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

This film is a soft, yet inspirational tale, about a troubled boy, whose life is changed when he's forced to work for an elderly woman. Once again this is a tremendous film that was completely ignored, due to not being in the theaters, but it's still one hell of a story. The performances are honestly some of the best I've seen all year and while I don't really go for films like this, it really moved me. Gena Rowlands shows that the longer you've been doing this, the better you get. Kevin Zegers on the other hand shows just the opposite, that you don't have to be a legend to put on a great performance. This story is just so inspiring and unlike many other films, it's very real and believable. Overall, it was somewhat predictable, but in a way that you don't mind so much, because of how it is done. Mrs. Ritchie is fantastic and I'm thrilled that I gave it a shot.

A Christmas Story

Starring: Peter Billingsly, Darren McGavin, & Melinda Dillon
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

How many times do you watch it on Christmas? This movie certainly is a classic. I'm a sucker for flashback films told by a narrator and this is perhaps a primary example of these films. For those of you living under a rock and unfamiliar with this film, it's about a little boy named Ralphie and what he wants for Christmas. The cast is fantastic and it's hilarious without being raunchy. This is how comedies used to be and some would argue should be. No doubt this film is great, but what most people don't know is that there is actually a sequel, with the same narrator, made 11 years later. My Summer Story follows Ralphie and his family the following summer and while the cast is different, the story is equally as good. I'd suggest you check out both films and be careful not to shoot your eye out kid!

The Nightmare Room: Scareful What You Wish For

Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Kaley Cuoco, Justin Berfield, & Tania Raymonde
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

I really like going back and seeing how my favorite stars got their start. To be honest, I expected The Nightmare Room to be kind of lame, but it wasn't. It was written by R.L. Stein, for kids, but the stories are actually interesting and have some neat twists. I saw it as the PG version of Tales From The Crypt and I actually enjoyed it quite a bit. The stories range from evil tempers, to killer dolls, and even a story about what would happen if all a kids lies came true. Even early on Shia LaBeouf had an intensity about him and Tania Raymonde (Lost) had a quirkiness that you see in their future roles. The Nightmare Room isn't what I'd call scary, but I think kids will love it and unlike most children stories, I think many adults would enjoy this too.

We Wish You A Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year!

No matter what religion you are, this is a time for family, friends, and loved one, and I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Balls Out: Gary The Tennis Coach

Starring: Seann William Scott & Randy Quaid
Rating: 0 out of 5 stars

I had high hopes for Balls Out. It's from the same team that did Dude Where's My Car and the first Harold & Kumar movie. Seann William Scott stars and he's usually pretty funny, I thought maybe this would be kind of like Happy Gilmore, I couldn't have been more wrong. Different people have different opinions on what's funny and what's not, but I really don't see how any sane person could like this shit! It's far past ridiculous and it's just as stupid as it gets. Scott's constant whining and narrating to himself is unbearable, but at least his character had a personality. The supporting cast was pretty much brain dead. Why anyone would want to produce this, is beyond me, seldom have I seen something this fucking horrible!

Keith

Starring: Jesse McCartney & Elisabeth Harnois
Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars

There was something so sad, yet beautiful about this film. It wasn't just a love story, but rather a film about life, that shows us not only to appreciate it, but to appreciate the opportunity it affords us. The film is about the ability to choose what path your life takes and to appreciate the fact that you have a choice. I honestly didn't think this film would be very good, but Jesse McCartney was terrific in Summerland, so I decided to check it out. Jesse, you need to realize it's time to ditch the shitty pop songs and stick to acting, because you were truly great as Keith. Elisabeth Harnois was also very good as Natalie, and as I watched the movie, I realized I was feeling what her character was feeling, the textbook sign of an amazing performance. Honestly, it's a shame that big budget films get all the recognition, while something this magical is labeled direct-to-video and thrown in the $5.99 bin.

Morrison Murders

Starring: John Corbett, Jonathan Scarfe, & Gordon Clapp
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Morrison Murders was a made for TV movie, based on an actual case in Georgia. It was your pretty standard made for TV movie, with one exception, the cast. Usually these things are pretty poorly written, predictable, and a little slow. This movie was far from slow, however a lot of the lines were cheesy and I figured out who did it within the first ten minutes. Sex & The City's John Corbett was very solid as was NYPD Blue's Gordon Clapp. It's nice to see people we associate with one character, stand out and be something completely different in another role. It's pretty much your standard, low budget, made for TV movie. The acting was a little better and the story moved along well, but it was toned down for the small screen and far too predictable for me.

Book Review: The Power of Six

The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Despite the fact that I read a couple dozen novels a year, almost exclusively Science Fiction, I don't review them. To tell someone about a two hour movie they might like is easy, they may even add it to their rental queue, and invest the time in, but books are different. Readers take weeks, sometimes months to read, and people are very particular about it. They often have a specific genre or list of authors they follow and they are very ridged about trying new things.

I am writing about The Power of Six, because it is one of the best books I've ever read, the second book in a series of six, that I discovered because of a movie. This book is the sequel to the book/movie I am Number Four. I am one of those picky, selective readers, but this movie was so interesting to me that I had to know the whole story. I had to see what they left out of the movie and of course what happens next! The movie did pretty well, but the chances of a sequel are diminishing by the day, and the book may be the only chance you have of learning what happens to John, Sam, Sarah, and Six.

Reviewing a book is a lot harder than I thought, I keep finding myself using spoilers and nobody wants that! Instead I'll give you a brief synopsis and you can decide for yourself if it's something you want to know more about. The Power of Six starts off where The first book and the movie leave off. It details the next step in John's journey, but at the same time introduces you to another of his kind, tucked away in hiding. This book focuses less on introductions and more on the journey and purpose behind everything that has happened, but as the authors say, this is only book 2 of 6, so they by no means answer everything. You are also left with another cliffhanger that won't be resolved until book 3, The Rise of Nine, debuts in August of 2012.

Like the first, this book has everything, love, hate, action, humor, drama, aliens, war, etc. It is simply put the most interesting thing I have ever read, and I did so in 10 days. This series is incredibly intelligent and thought provoking and has even inspired me in my own writing. I have never seen or read anything like it and it has truly encompassed me. I find myself talking about it to people all the time and even as eloquent a speaker as I am, I can't describe it with any justice. You just have to see it for yourself, and I can promise you, even if it's not your style, it will open your imagination and have you feeling like a teenager again, wishing you were fighting right along side John, Sam, & Six.

Die Hard 2: Die Harder

Starring: Bruce Willis, Dennis Franz, & William Sadler
Rating: 4 1/2 out of 5 stars

It's a sad commentary, but every year around the holidays I start thinking about John McClain. That is how ingrained media has become in our minds. This week I decided to watch Die Hard 2 for the 8 millionth time, because unlike most sequels, I found it to be better than the first. Not to say that the first isn't a classic film, but the second one has two things the first lacked. First, Director, Renny Harlan, who is the master of action films, completely unappreciated, and a man who has given me hours of excitement. The second thing is the supporting cast, which features the likes of Dennis Franz from NYPD Blue, Fred Thompson of Law n' Order, and of course veteran character actor, William Sadler. Willis once again is brilliant as John McClain and gave the 90's a true action hero! The Die Hard films are the frame work by which all modern action films are compared and if you skipped the second one, because it was a sequel, you're an idiot! This is a can't miss movie for action junkies.

Things That Hang From Trees

Starring: Deborah Unger & Cooper Musgrove
Rating: 1 out of 5 stars

I decided to give this film a chance, because it really is an intriguing story. Set in 1969, in a small town in Florida. An alcoholic father has abandoned his wife and child. The child is slow and has all kinds of problems, so the mother is forced to open up a business. In 1969 what kind of business does every small southern town need? You guessed it, a sex shop! It's a different plot and seemed like it would be a very interesting story, but looks can be deceiving. They hire writers to make the "official" description of the movie, so it sound great and you'll go see it, and in this case they got me. This has got to be one of the slowest and most pointless movies I have ever seen. Everyone is portrayed as stupid, the film is choppy and makes no sense, and on top of that it's just a total bore! They fooled me, don't let them fool you! Avoid this one!

Another Gay Movie

Starring: Michael Carbanaro & Jonah Blechman
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Ok... Leave your joke in the comment box, I'm sure it's hilarious. As for this movie, it WAS hilarious... at first... but it quickly got old. Its about four gay friends, the summer before college, on a mission to get laid. Along the way they meet their fair share of weird characters and it's pretty much the same as 1000 other coming of age teen comedies, except for the gay part... This movie has some really funny parts, especially the interaction with the lesbians, THAT was classic! Unfortunately, they continue focusing on the one subject, and the jokes just stop being funny after about twenty minutes or so. It's a cool idea, it's a gutsy film to make, and I give praise to everyone brave enough to be a part of it. It probably would have been good if it wasn't so narrow-minded.

Hesher

Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Devin Brochu, & Natalie Portman
Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars

Hesher is a strange story that only works because of a terrific cast. The story follows a family who is suffering from a tragic loss. A mysterious stranger shows up and takes refuge in their garage and in his own twisted, fucked up way, tries to help. That's what we were told, but I didn't see Hesher as anything more than a nuisance to the them. It's unbelievable that no one would have called the cops on this guy! Anyway, ignoring the weak story and obvious plot holes, this movie was good because of its cast, plain and simple. JGL continues to be the most under-appreciated talent in Hollywood. I guess that's what happens when you start out on a sitcom. Newcomer Devin Brochu in his first major role was amazing as TJ, he's gonna be a big star one day. Even Natalie Portman, who I don't usually like, was great! Hesher isn't the best story ever written, at times it's slow, at others it just doesn't click, but the amazingly talented cast manages to keep your interest and makes this one worth seeing.

Whisper

Starring: Blake Woodruff, Josh Holloway, & Sarah Wayne Callies
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

I chose this little known film for two reasons. First, for a B-Movie, the cast is terrific! Second, the best horror films are the ones with evil, sadistic, kids. What's scarier than a kid who goes around killing people? In Whisper, David is a kid of fortune, but very introverted. At his birthday party, he's kidnapped and held from ransom, but he's not really the prisoner, they are! I tried to like this movie, but honestly I didn't. The cast was excellent, but the film moves very slowly, very little actually happens, and when it does, you already knew it was coming. It wasn't an awful movie, and this cast is certainly appealing, but something just doesn't click. I'd avoid this one if I were you.