Official Site: TheStrangers.net
Director: Bryan Bertino
Writer: Bryan Bertino
Producer: Doug Davison, Nathan Kahane, and Roy Lee.
Starring: Liv Tyler as Kristen Mckay, Scott Speedman as James Hoyt, Gemma Ward as Dollface, Kip Weeks as Man in the Mask, Laura Margolis as Pin-up-Girl, and Glenn Howerton as Mike(IMDb). Rated-R.
James and Kristen travel off to a family vacation home to discuss the current status of their relationship. At 4 o'clock in the morning a girl knocks on the door asking for a strange girl. James and Kristen answer the door, and explain to her that she has the wrong house. Moments later when James goes out for a drive, the same girl comes back but she brings the others with her to horrify the couple.
This film absolutely met my expectations in a gratifying manner. What I expected from this film was for the suspense to be driven mainly by the use of the surroundings such as the dark corners of the house, and the creepy disposition of the woods. Also, the sentinel and mysterious nature of the masked characters very much added to the suspsense of the film. The most frightening aspect of the film was the fact that, it was based on actual events. Being that it was based on true events, as I watched the film I asked myself, what would I have done?
The film certainly does not introduce anything new to suspenseful film making as the use of surroundings to add suspense has been done before, but this film was entertaining, and furthermore it was incredibly creepy. The tone of the film was amazing; the element of fright was well conveyed. On another note, this film could have been shorter, but seemingly the film was lengthened on account of the masked killers toying with the couple, and that could be perceived as pretentious but it did provide insight into the diabolical nature of the killers. According to Movies.com the fans gave it a B, and the critics gave it a B-. I will side with the critics and grade a B-, but truthfully this film fits somewhere between a B- and a C+. Metacritic indicated this film received mixed reviews, but it was not a bad film at all. Stay tuned, Movieporium.blogspot.com.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of The Crystal Skull: Family Reunion
Director: Steven Spielberg
Writers: David Koepp, George Lucas, Jeff Nathanson, and Phillip Kaufman.
Producer: Frank Marshall
Starring: Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones, Cate Blanchett as Irina Spalko, Karen Allen as Marion Ravenwood, Shia Labeouf as Mutt Williams, Ray Winstone as "Mac" George McHale, John Hurt as Professor "Ox" Oxley, and Jim Broadbent as Dean Charles Stanforth(IMDb). Rated PG-13.
Indiana Jones is in a train. As the train begins to depart a young man on a motor cycle named Mutt rides by his window while the train is moving, and asked him if he has ever heard of Oxley. In recognition of the name, Jones answers yes and they both went to a diner to discuss clues left by Oxley that ultimately lead to the discovery of an ancient treasure.
The current sequel has maintained the tradition of the previous Indiana Jones films. There was plenty of adventure, cool camera angles, riddles, and clues. The adventure element was plentiful as there was no lag in the film. It was not boring at all. Granted the action sequences were over the top, but this is what I expect from an Indiana Jones film. Clearly this film executed what it what it advertised, and that is fun and adventure. The production was amazing. The cast chemistry was great. Cate Blanchett was awesome in her role, and I think she fit the part nicely. According to Metacritic.com the film received favorable reviews, and according to Rottentomatoes.com, so far the film has received 148 fresh tomatoes to 39 rotten tomatoes. As a very fun film to watch I will grade it a B+. Stay tuned, Movieporium.blogspot.com.
Writers: David Koepp, George Lucas, Jeff Nathanson, and Phillip Kaufman.
Producer: Frank Marshall
Starring: Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones, Cate Blanchett as Irina Spalko, Karen Allen as Marion Ravenwood, Shia Labeouf as Mutt Williams, Ray Winstone as "Mac" George McHale, John Hurt as Professor "Ox" Oxley, and Jim Broadbent as Dean Charles Stanforth(IMDb). Rated PG-13.
Indiana Jones is in a train. As the train begins to depart a young man on a motor cycle named Mutt rides by his window while the train is moving, and asked him if he has ever heard of Oxley. In recognition of the name, Jones answers yes and they both went to a diner to discuss clues left by Oxley that ultimately lead to the discovery of an ancient treasure.
The current sequel has maintained the tradition of the previous Indiana Jones films. There was plenty of adventure, cool camera angles, riddles, and clues. The adventure element was plentiful as there was no lag in the film. It was not boring at all. Granted the action sequences were over the top, but this is what I expect from an Indiana Jones film. Clearly this film executed what it what it advertised, and that is fun and adventure. The production was amazing. The cast chemistry was great. Cate Blanchett was awesome in her role, and I think she fit the part nicely. According to Metacritic.com the film received favorable reviews, and according to Rottentomatoes.com, so far the film has received 148 fresh tomatoes to 39 rotten tomatoes. As a very fun film to watch I will grade it a B+. Stay tuned, Movieporium.blogspot.com.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Chronicles of Narnia: Long Live the Prince
Director: Andrew Adamson
Writers: Andrew Adamson, Christopher Markus
Producer(s): Andrew Adamson, Mark Johnson, Perry Moore, and Phillip Steuer
Starring: Ben Barnes as Prince Caspian, Georgie Henley as Lucy Pevensive, Skandar Keynes as Edmund Pevensive, William Moseley as PeterPevensive, Anna Popplewell as Susan Pevensive, Sergio Castellitto as King Miraz, Warwick Davis as Nikabrik, Peter Dinklage as Trumpkin, and Liam Neeson as Aslan(IMDb). Rated-PG.
Prince Caspian is galloping his way into the forbidden woods to save himself from King Miraz's soldiers. When Caspian reaches the interior of the woods, he encounters hostile Narnians who he believed were extinct . As he struggles against the Narnians, he blows his horn and magically summons the kings and queens of old, commonly known as Peter, Edmund, Lucy and Susan, who are magically transported to Narnia to help battle the corrupt King Miraz in order to restore the Kingdom of Narnia.
This film demands your attention from its inception, because the story does not lag in its introduction. Right away movie watchers get a clear understanding of the unfolding events that will lead to apex of the plot. Infused with awesome clarity, the plot was well explained I think mainly due to the superb management of the film's pace. If something needed to be explained there was calmness injected into the plot through dialogue. This management apparently provided a nice pace to the film without making the film boring.
Visually, the film was stunning. The special effects were insane, and an absolute wonder. All the creatures looked really great, and their presence were not parsimonious. The appearance of the centaurs, griffins, and talking mice, were satisfactory. The kid in me was thoroughly satisfied. Furthermore, the majestic Aslan was official.
This movie was an absolute joy to watch, and admittedly there was not that much humor in this sequel. Indeed this was a very serious film, with a relatively strong political dimension. The battle scenes were amazing and emotional. There was one scene that involved trees that was reminiscent of Lord of The Rings-that sort of bothered me a little but, it was not that bad. According to Movies.com, the fans gave it a B+, and the critics gave it a B, and I will side with the fans and grade it a B+. Stay tuned, Movieporium.blogspot.com.
The Creatures of Narnia
Interview With The Cast
Writers: Andrew Adamson, Christopher Markus
Producer(s): Andrew Adamson, Mark Johnson, Perry Moore, and Phillip Steuer
Starring: Ben Barnes as Prince Caspian, Georgie Henley as Lucy Pevensive, Skandar Keynes as Edmund Pevensive, William Moseley as PeterPevensive, Anna Popplewell as Susan Pevensive, Sergio Castellitto as King Miraz, Warwick Davis as Nikabrik, Peter Dinklage as Trumpkin, and Liam Neeson as Aslan(IMDb). Rated-PG.
Prince Caspian is galloping his way into the forbidden woods to save himself from King Miraz's soldiers. When Caspian reaches the interior of the woods, he encounters hostile Narnians who he believed were extinct . As he struggles against the Narnians, he blows his horn and magically summons the kings and queens of old, commonly known as Peter, Edmund, Lucy and Susan, who are magically transported to Narnia to help battle the corrupt King Miraz in order to restore the Kingdom of Narnia.
This film demands your attention from its inception, because the story does not lag in its introduction. Right away movie watchers get a clear understanding of the unfolding events that will lead to apex of the plot. Infused with awesome clarity, the plot was well explained I think mainly due to the superb management of the film's pace. If something needed to be explained there was calmness injected into the plot through dialogue. This management apparently provided a nice pace to the film without making the film boring.
Visually, the film was stunning. The special effects were insane, and an absolute wonder. All the creatures looked really great, and their presence were not parsimonious. The appearance of the centaurs, griffins, and talking mice, were satisfactory. The kid in me was thoroughly satisfied. Furthermore, the majestic Aslan was official.
This movie was an absolute joy to watch, and admittedly there was not that much humor in this sequel. Indeed this was a very serious film, with a relatively strong political dimension. The battle scenes were amazing and emotional. There was one scene that involved trees that was reminiscent of Lord of The Rings-that sort of bothered me a little but, it was not that bad. According to Movies.com, the fans gave it a B+, and the critics gave it a B, and I will side with the fans and grade it a B+. Stay tuned, Movieporium.blogspot.com.
The Creatures of Narnia
Interview With The Cast
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Speed Racer: Go Speed Go !
Directors: Andy and Larry Wachowski
Writers: Andy and Larry Wachowski
Producers: Grant Hill, Andy and Larry Wachowski, and Joe Silver,
Starring: Emile Hirsch as Speed, Susan Sarandon as Mom, John Goodman as Pop, Christina Ricci as Trixie, Matthew Fox as Racer X, Paulie Litt as Spritle, Willy and Kenzie as Chim Chim, Kick Gurry as Sparkie, and Scott Porter as Rex(IMDb). Rated-PG.
All Speed can think about is race car driving, and he wishes to be like his big brother Rex who is potentially the best race car driver in town. However, the world of racing is corrupt, and spearheaded by corporate giants who work with hoodlums who bribe crooked race car drivers. This is the lesson speed learns when he matures into the most exciting race car driver since his older brother Rex.
This film had a lot color, cartoon like in a way that was not so annoying. The cartoon like appearance in the film was executed nicely with astounding originality reminiscent of the live Dick Tracy(1990) film starring Al Pacino, and Warren Beatty. Very imaginative, and very different, with an overt childlike element that made the tone of the film delightfully silly.
Regarding the story, often it was difficult to anticipate where the story was going thus creating lag in the flow of the scenes. What was helpful however, was how the editing was used to explain the background of Speed concisely. Throughout the film the editing was an explanatory agent with a bit of fanciness, because the style of the editing that was used was amusing, but effective.
Over all this movie was OK. It was entertaining family fun and it's worth seeing on the big screen because of the special effects. The casting was good, and the actors had good chemistry on screen. According to Movies.com, the fans gave it a B, the critics gave it a C, and I will side with neither and grade it a C+. Stay tuned, Movieporium.blogspot.com.
Writers: Andy and Larry Wachowski
Producers: Grant Hill, Andy and Larry Wachowski, and Joe Silver,
Starring: Emile Hirsch as Speed, Susan Sarandon as Mom, John Goodman as Pop, Christina Ricci as Trixie, Matthew Fox as Racer X, Paulie Litt as Spritle, Willy and Kenzie as Chim Chim, Kick Gurry as Sparkie, and Scott Porter as Rex(IMDb). Rated-PG.
All Speed can think about is race car driving, and he wishes to be like his big brother Rex who is potentially the best race car driver in town. However, the world of racing is corrupt, and spearheaded by corporate giants who work with hoodlums who bribe crooked race car drivers. This is the lesson speed learns when he matures into the most exciting race car driver since his older brother Rex.
This film had a lot color, cartoon like in a way that was not so annoying. The cartoon like appearance in the film was executed nicely with astounding originality reminiscent of the live Dick Tracy(1990) film starring Al Pacino, and Warren Beatty. Very imaginative, and very different, with an overt childlike element that made the tone of the film delightfully silly.
Regarding the story, often it was difficult to anticipate where the story was going thus creating lag in the flow of the scenes. What was helpful however, was how the editing was used to explain the background of Speed concisely. Throughout the film the editing was an explanatory agent with a bit of fanciness, because the style of the editing that was used was amusing, but effective.
Over all this movie was OK. It was entertaining family fun and it's worth seeing on the big screen because of the special effects. The casting was good, and the actors had good chemistry on screen. According to Movies.com, the fans gave it a B, the critics gave it a C, and I will side with neither and grade it a C+. Stay tuned, Movieporium.blogspot.com.
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Iron Man: To Peace!
Director: Jon Favreu
Writers: Mark Fergus, Hawk Hostby
Producers: Avi Arad, Kevin Feige
Starring: Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/ Iron Man, Terrence Howard as Jim Rhodes, Jeff Bridges as Obadiah Stane/Iron Monger, Gwyneth Paltrow as Virginia "Pepper" Potts, Leslie Bibb as Christine Everhart, Shaun Toub as Yinsen, Faran Tahir as Raza, Sayed Badreya as Abu Bakaar(IMDb). Rated-PG13.
Tony Stark is in a military hummer being driven after a weapon presentation when a surprise attack from an insurgent group ultimately render him to captivity in a cave. The insurgent group instructs him to build his latest weapon, the Jericho, and they will set him free. Sensing he will not be set free, along with his captive Yinsen, who Tony has befriended, instead of building the Jericho, Tony builds the prototype of the iron man suit which helps him escape. Upon returning to the United States, and after witnessing how his weapons could be used, Tony decides to perfect his iron man suite to fight corruption.
This is a good introductory film that mainly expounded how Tony Stark became Iron Man. All the details that were delineated were key to making sure movie watchers understood the life of the superhero. Transformation was the main theme of this film as a lot time was spent explaining how Tony Stark developed from a genius/party animal to an affected human being who experienced tragedy. This is really a film about the origin of Iron Man, and thankfully the details of his origin were well provided.
One of the major drawbacks of this film was that, there was not enough Iron Man, but there was enough to keep me somewhat satisfied. Also, I was expecting more action, but the action that was in the film was satisfying. The ending, it was somewhat anticlimactic but it was not that bad.The pace of the film was great, and the casting was great, but this movie was a big tease. According to Movies.com, the fans and critics agree on a grade of A-, but I will side with neither and give it a B. Stay tuned Movieporium.blogspot.com.
Writers: Mark Fergus, Hawk Hostby
Producers: Avi Arad, Kevin Feige
Starring: Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/ Iron Man, Terrence Howard as Jim Rhodes, Jeff Bridges as Obadiah Stane/Iron Monger, Gwyneth Paltrow as Virginia "Pepper" Potts, Leslie Bibb as Christine Everhart, Shaun Toub as Yinsen, Faran Tahir as Raza, Sayed Badreya as Abu Bakaar(IMDb). Rated-PG13.
Tony Stark is in a military hummer being driven after a weapon presentation when a surprise attack from an insurgent group ultimately render him to captivity in a cave. The insurgent group instructs him to build his latest weapon, the Jericho, and they will set him free. Sensing he will not be set free, along with his captive Yinsen, who Tony has befriended, instead of building the Jericho, Tony builds the prototype of the iron man suit which helps him escape. Upon returning to the United States, and after witnessing how his weapons could be used, Tony decides to perfect his iron man suite to fight corruption.
This is a good introductory film that mainly expounded how Tony Stark became Iron Man. All the details that were delineated were key to making sure movie watchers understood the life of the superhero. Transformation was the main theme of this film as a lot time was spent explaining how Tony Stark developed from a genius/party animal to an affected human being who experienced tragedy. This is really a film about the origin of Iron Man, and thankfully the details of his origin were well provided.
One of the major drawbacks of this film was that, there was not enough Iron Man, but there was enough to keep me somewhat satisfied. Also, I was expecting more action, but the action that was in the film was satisfying. The ending, it was somewhat anticlimactic but it was not that bad.The pace of the film was great, and the casting was great, but this movie was a big tease. According to Movies.com, the fans and critics agree on a grade of A-, but I will side with neither and give it a B. Stay tuned Movieporium.blogspot.com.
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