New Rating System Announced

I have been thinking of a new rating system that will replace the old one. As you all know, my blog is devoted to movie reviews for people to understand. I think switching from numbers to letters can help people to understand the rating system more easier. I have also divided the movie into 6 sections. Well more like 7 if you count the introduction to the movie. I have also decided to add some images of the movies being reviewed in the review. I have gotten a couple emails requesting this so here you go. I cant promise that every review will have pics of the film because some could be hard to obtain, but I will do my best. Starting now, upcoming movie reviews will be based on this new rating system. Old reviews will be slowly updated to go with the current rating system so please be patient.

Section 1: Plot Outline
This section gives a brief summary of the movie

Section 2: Plot
This area actually goes deeper into the story, explaining almost everything.

Section 3: Cast
This part talks about the cast of the movie. Who played what role and where they any good?

Section 4: Picture
This section discusses the visual quality of the movie. How does the movie look?

Section 5: Sound
This area dives deep into the sound quality of the movie. How does the movie sound?

Section 6: Conclusion
Gives you the final thought about the movie. Mentions some of the above sections to wrap it up.


Actual Rating

A+
A
A-
This is a must see. A fantastic film to experience and film making at its best.
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B+
B
B-
A Great movie that you should see even thought its not perfect. You will probably like it.
_________________________________________________________
C+
C
C-
An average movie that might be worth checking out if your really into these types of things.
_________________________________________________________
D+
D
D-
A mediocre movie that I don't recommend watching. You should probably skip it.
_________________________________________________________
F
Don't waste your time watching this garbage. Go do something else instead

REVIEW: The Incredible Hulk

The Incredible Hulk

Year: 2008
Director: Louis Leterrier
Starring: Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, William Hurt, Tim Blake Nelson
Distributor: Universal Pictures
MPAA: Rated PG-13

Hulk fans around the world were left disappointed after the 2003 Ang Lee film "Hulk" bombed pretty badly at the box office. It looked as if we were never going to get a true Hulk film that people actually liked. That changed when Marvel and Universal started talking again. After the announcement that Edward Norton was replacing Eric Bana as Bruce Banner, I didn't know what to expect. I'm not a fan of recasts and this new Hulk movie didn't look like it was bringing back anybody from the first movie. Ang Lee was being replaced by Louis Leterrier who also directed Transporter 2 and Unleashed. Months later, we got our first look at the teaser for The Incredible Hulk. People complained about the movies visual effects criticizing it for looking uglier than the first film. I didn't say anything because I wanted to see the finished product before passing judgement. I knew this movie would be much better than the first Hulk attempt.

Plot Outline:
Bruce Banner (Edward Norton) is in Brazil learning Portuguese while working in a bottling plant. He is on the run from General Ross (William Hurt) while trying to figure out a way to rid himself of the startling metamorphosis created by gamma radiation. He does this through the study of Eastern Meditations as well as scientific experiments aided by a mysterious "Mr. Blue" via the Internet. A clue leads Ross into finding Banner in Brazil. They dispatch an elite team with soldier Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth). Moving back towards the U.S., he reunites with Betty Ross (Liv Tyler). Blonsky takes a top secret serum that enhances his ability, although nowhere as close to what Hulk can have. He wants that power and chases Banner with more selfish motives.

Plot:
Director Louis Leterrier wanted to stay away from Ang Lee's story version and instead focus more on the TV show series "The Incredible Hulk". You can really tell the guys who wrote the screenplay were fans of the comics because there are so many references to the TV show and Hulk in general. The origin of the Hulk is mostly explained in the opening credits. Their are no flashbacks from the previous film and everthing looks new. This Hulk also looks like the Hulk in the comics. The Abomination is in the movie and he makes such a good opponent against the Hulk that its really fun watching the two of them going at it. The movie also has alot of cameos that are a joy to see. We get a cameo by Lou Ferrigno who played the original Hulk in the TV series, but also voices the Hulk in this film and one by the popular Stan Lee who created the superhero, but that's not all. By now, most of you have heard of Robert Downey Jr. having a cameo in this film as Tony Stark aka Iron Man. His appearance is at the end and I don't want to spoil it for you, but Its very thrilling to see him. Looks like The Avengers is definitely coming, HELL YEAH!

Cast:
Edward Norton plays as Bruce Banner/Hulk. He replaces Eric Bana and while I enjoyed Bana as Banner, I felt Norton did the better job. His comedic and smart performance makes him a good choice to be playing this character. Liv Tyler replaces Jennifer Connelly as Betty Ross. I felt Connelly's portrayal of Betty Ross was much more meaningful. Tyler just doesn't come close to Connelly's Ross when you compare the two. Besides, Connelly looked way more sexy than Tyler. Tim Roth plays as Emil Blonsky who later goes onto turn into the Abomination. He gives a great performance that I really liked. He had me convinced he was this ruthless agent out to hunt Hulk and get his power. We also have William Hurt playing as General "Thunderbolt" Ross. He also replaces Sam Elliott and I thought Elliott did a great job as Ross, but I think Hurt does an even better job. Hes look and personality makes him a good choice to be playing this part.

Picture:
The visual effects in this movie are probably going to get the most criticism from. People kept saying the previous Hulk looked more real than this one. I didn't say anything because the movie wasn't finished yet and I didn't want to criticize something that wasn't complete. Than when I finally saw the movie in finished form at the theater, I was really impressed. The animations look nicely done and the fight scenes are wonderfully choreographed. The movie doesn't consist of any grain which comes to as no surprise since it a new release. Colors are very bold and somewhat muted. Its not vibrant like I would have hoped for, but it looks dazzling. Blacks are inky and dark like they should be. Detail is sky high with alot of clarity in peoples faces. Close up shots on Hulk or anybody else in the movie are highly detailed with everything looking great. This movie destroys the other Hulk in the visual department.

Sound:
Danny Elfman scored the previous Hulk movie, but this time composer Craig Armstrong is scoring this movie. Armstrong had previously scored other films such as Ray and World Trade Center. He does a good job here with his score and I liked it better than the one Elfman made. The music in this movie kind of mimics the ones in the TV series. This is good news for those who loved the TV show theme song because its in this movie too. With that all said, the movie doesn't feature a score that I really thought made this film stand out. Bass on the other hand, is just phenomenal. I raved about how the first Hulk movie had strong bass usage, but The Incredible Hulk takes it to another level. The heavy explosions and jaw dropping fight scenes just sound so perfect. This is now my favorite to demo my surround sound.

Conclusion:

The Incredible Hulk is a great movie that any superhero fan will enjoy. I found the story to be really entertaining and full of action. Its much more related to the TV series and the comics compared to Ang Lee's version. The cast is great with alot of them giving good performances. The visual effects are much more improved from the previous film. For those criticizing this movie for its effects, shut up. Lets see you render a 9 feet monster perfectly. The soundtrack is better, but is still lacking a good score that will set this movie aside from other films. The bass will rock you system and is much much more aggressive this time. Louis Leterrier did a great job directing this movie and I hope he sticks around for a sequel. This is the Hulk movie you fans have been craving to see. Marvel is 2 for 2 now. So how does this compare to Iron Man? well there both great. Id say Iron Man wins only by a feather because of the cleaner storyline, but Hulk kills it in the action scenes. Both are great films and Id definitely see both. HULK SMASH!

Grade: B-

REVIEW: Hulk

Hulk

Year: 2003
Director: Ang Lee
Starring: Eric Bana, Jennifer Connelly, Sam Elliott, Nick Nolte, Josh Lucas
Distributor: Universal Pictures
MPAA: Rated PG-13

The first time I heard of Hulk coming to the big screen was when I saw that lame teaser trailer. Now, I say lame because the teaser hardly showed anything and I know it was only a teaser, but I was expecting alittle more. Then slowly new things started coming along with some posters and a great trailer. It was than that I was alittle excited for this movie. Ill admit that I haven't read any of the Hulk comics, but I know enough of what the story is suppose to be. With all of this going, did Hulk turn out successful? short answer: no. The movie kind of bombed at the box office dropping by almost 70% in its second week out. The executives at Universal were expecting alot more from the big green machine yet sadly it didn't turn out the way they wanted it. The movie also received harsh reviews with most critics although some people kind of liked it. I still wanted to see Hulk despite the reviews because I love the character of Bruce Banner/Hulk.

Plot Outline:
Bruce Banner is a well known scientist. Before he was born, his father David (Nick Nolte), who was also a scientist, tested on himself and passed his mutated genes onto Bruce. Now Bruce, thirty-five, and his research partner Betty Ross (Jennifer Connelly) are performing experiments on animals with beams called "gamma rays". The gamma rays are supposed to help heal wounds and other injuries, but it doesn't work. Once exposed to the gamma, the animals explode. Bruce is accidentally exposed to a dose of gamma rays. He should be dead, but he's just fine. Pretty soon he figures out that he can turn into a muscular 10-foot-tall monster that goes by as the "Hulk".

Plot:
The story kind of follows the way of the comic, but goes off track alittle. It has the main idea of the comic books, but it doesn't follow it all the way. The movie has alot of problems. The movie doesn't feature any major villain and doesn't have any big fights that would wow anybody. I can kind of understand that their wouldn't be any villains in this movie since they want to build on the story first than concentrate on the villains, but instead they give us an enemy (Don't want to spoil anything) that really only shows up in the last 20 min's of the movie. The other issue I want to point out on is Hulk himself. Now, we all know what the Hulk should look like, but for some reason he doesn't look right in this film. The biggest issue I have this film is the camera shots. I don't know if it was the directors choice to do this, but alot of the scenes have parts cut out and put else where kind of like a comic. This works in a few scenes, but mostly, its just stupid. With all of this said, Hulk still has some enjoyable moments and this is mostly in the second half. The scene were hes fighting military tanks looks awesome.

Cast:
The cast for this movie is good. Eric Bana plays as Bruce Banner/Hulk. It's just something about his quite lonely look that makes him pretty good as Banner. Hes definitely not the best choice, but hes also far from being the worse. Jennifer Connelly plays as Betty Ross and shes smoking hot. This girl looks simply ravishing as Betty Ross. She also happens to be the strong point of the cast. She gives a good performance that any Connelly fan will like. Sam Elliott plays as General "Thunderbolt" Ross and he does a pretty good job in this role. He had that great look that makes him pretty much the Ross we know in the comics. I also enjoy Elliott's voice and personally think he sounds great as Ross. Nick Nolte plays as David Banner and he too gives a good performance here. His voice and talent isn't distracted by the bad story and Nolte gives a very believable performance.

Picture:
For a comic book hero like the Hulk, its pretty damn obvious that the studio would use CGI to capture the big green hero. The CGI definitely looks like it was up to the challenge to render the big beast and it did just that. There are some small scenes where the animations look alittle clunky, but for the most part, he acts right. Now as for the actual DVD disc, this movie looks great. Universal has done a great job putting together this disc because this is certainly one fine looking DVD. Its free of any grain or the horrible edge enhancements like some previous Universal DVD's had. Colors look touchable with vibrant strokes of feeling to them. Green is the most used color to no surprise and it looks wonderful. Detail is off the hook with alot of close up shots looking pretty amazing. The scenes where Ross is talking to Betty in the restaurant and that clarity you see in his mustache is unbelievable. This is one great looking disc.

Sound:
The soundtrack for Hulk is very good. The music is composed by the ever so talented Danny Elfman, the man who also scored Batman and Edward Scissorhands. The movie has a good score that I'm not particularly sure is right for this movie, but it sounds very good. I was kind of hoping that the movie has a score that actually sounds right for Hulk, but I guess I couldn't find that here. The music used all around is also good and gives Hulk some meaning. If the music wont kill you than the bass will because Hulk has one excellent use of bass. This movie rocks hard with its powerful bass. Every thump and roar is easily matched with bass that it makes it perfect. I have not heard bass this strong since maybe Iron Man. Hulk's use of bass combined with the very good soundtrack makes this an easy demo material DVD. I would love to show this DVD off to my friends on my surround sound.

Conclusion:
Hulk feels like a movie that was not given the full treatment. The story sucks and isn't very good. I found alot of problems with the plot even though the second half was kind of enjoyable. The cast is good all around with most giving good performances. The visual effects for the movie has its problems, but still manages to look great. The disc itself is easily demo material and something Id look out for in High Def. The soundtrack is very good with Elfman composing a nice score for the film even though it may not sound right for a Hulk movie. The bass is some of the strongest I heard in awhile and will no doubt blow you away. Hulk could have easily been a great fun movie to watch and yet, the first half is pretty boring. I don't really recommend this movie to anybody looking for an action movie, but maybe Hulk fans might like it. I really hope the upcoming The Incredible Hulk which opens wide this Friday, June 13th will turn out better.

Grade: D+

REVIEW: Iron Man

Iron Man

Year: 2008
Director: Jon Favreau
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Terrence Howard, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges, Faran Tahir
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
MPAA: Rated PG-13

I was the only one in a whole crowd that wanted to see Iron Man get made. This was back in 03 when their were polls showing up online asking what Marvel superhero would you like to see get made? Obviously, the winners were Spider-Man, Hulk, X-Men and many more. Iron Man was the last on every poll that asked that same question. My hopes kept falling when each year went by and no Iron Man. That suddenly changed when Paramount Pictures hired director Jon Favreau to direct the film. Soon after that, Robert Downey Jr. was signed on as Tony Stark. Than came May 2nd, the movies release date. It was such a big day for Iron Man fans that have waited so long for this great superhero to finally come to the big screen. Iron Man proved to be a huge success making over $100 million on its opening weekend. Not only that, but the film has been very positive with the reviews averaging a 93% on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie to this day has grossed over $537 million worldwide and is still going. I'm laughing my ass off right now to those who ever doubted Iron Man in the first place. Its funny now how, I see comments like "oh, Iron man is my favorite superhero" or "oh, I just love Iron Man". I ask these people, where were you in the last 5 years?

Plot Outline:
Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is a wealthy billionaire and a brilliant inventor who is captured by terrorists and is forced to look at his weapons company through the other side. Escaping by means of a revolutionary invention, Stark returns to find that his business partners, primarily Obidiah Stane (Jeff Bridges), are concerned about the direction he has the company going in. With the aid of Pepper Pots (Gwyneth Paltrow), Jim 'Rhodey' Rhodes (Terrence Howard) and a collection of all sorts of robots, Stark begins to perfect his invention to put a stop to the misery that he helped create.

Plot:
The film is based on the Marvel comics creator Stan Lee made. Now, Ill admit that I didn't read any Iron Man comics, but I did watch alot of the animated series that use to show on TV. I know the whole origin of him and how Tony Stark becomes Iron Man. The story stays faithful to that concept. I'm not sure if every little thing in the movie is true to the comic, but it comes damn close. Sure its not filled with super villains although seeing The Mandarin on screen would have made me piss my pants, but its got this nice telling of how Stark becomes a superhero. The characters that I grew up watching are now in real life form. It was nice to see them in action and to see celebrities portray them. I was alittle disappointed that we don't get to see Stark battling out his alcohol addiction. Iron Man would have been nothing if their weren't any action. We see him in the Iron Man suit in the sky trying to dodge military jets. I don't even have to explain the final battle with Iron Monger. These scenes are baddass and nicely done too. While I did enjoy the action in the movie, I couldn't help, but think how much more action packed the sequel will be.

Cast:
The cast is even better than the story. I have to give the studio and creative team behind the casting credit because I enjoyed everyone in this film. Robert Downey Jr. plays as Tony Stark/Iron Man and he gives a fantastic performance in his role. Long ago, I honestly thought Tom Cruise would have been ideal to play Stark, but I can now see I was wrong. Robert Downey Jr. is just spot on as Tony Stark. Hes witty, hes charming and just fun to watch. Jeff Bridges plays as Obadiah Stane. While I didn't enjoy his performance like I did in The Big Lebowski, I still thought it was great. Hes nice clean look and pasture makes him a perfect choice opposite Downey. Terrence Howard plays as Jim Rhodes and he gives a nice performance in his new role. While I didn't enjoy his performance like I did with Robert, but hes still good in a way. He doesn't play War Machine in this film, but you can bet your ass he will in the sequel. We also have Gwyneth Paltrow playing as Pepper Potts. Shes very sexy and nice to see next to Robert. The two of them share some nice chemistry in a few scenes. Her beautiful looks and likable personality makes her perfect for this role.

Picture:
The visual effects in Iron Man are simply stunning. I knew that if this film was ever going to get made, that the special effects would be pushed pretty hard and I was right. Everything in this film looks absolutely gorgeous. The films source is nice and clean with no grain. That's no surprise since the movie only came out about a month ago. Colors are bold and dazzling. Blacks are nice and inky especially during the night scenes. Detail is pretty high with things like the Iron suit being nicely detailed and really standing out. Faces also pact alot of detail with hair being the one very noticeable. Skin tones are also accurate and have a nice warm feeling to them. The animations in the movie all look wonderfully choreographed. Scenes were Tony Stark is in his Iron Man suit really push the animations, but they still manage to look amazing. A movie like this couldn't have been possible a couple years back. Its nice to see technology come this far. Judging from these visual effects, I guess I'm now glad that Iron Man came out later than I would have hoped because this movie is easily demo material.

Sound:
The soundtrack in the movie is not mind blowing, but its good. The original music is done by Ramin Djawadi and he does a good job putting together some good music. The music mostly ranges from techno to some rock which is about right for Iron Man's tone. They all play in good order and sound great. I cant say the soundtrack was amazing as the visuals were, but its pretty good for a superhero movie like this. Bass is were Iron Man truly shows his skill. This movie rocks pretty damn hard. This is some of the best bass I have ever heard in some time. The action scenes sound so loud and really use the bass to its full advantage. Explosions have never sounded this brutal. This is easily demo material in my book. The sheer amount of scenes that I can use to show off my system is really amazing. Dialogue is up their too with some of the best I've heard. Its really crisp and clear that you can really hear everything. I cant fathom how great this movie will sound on your surround system.

Conclusion:
Iron Man is one of the years best films to come out. The story is great with its entertaining plot that brings Tony Stark into becoming Iron Man. Its not perfect, but damn is it fun. The cast is outstanding with alot of them being great performances. Robert Downey Jr. is by far the best Tony Stark I have ever seen. The visual effects for the movie are simply amazing. I cant picture this movie looking any better. Everything is spot on and detail is pretty high up. The soundtrack is pretty good with some mixed music here and their, but its the bass that's going to rock your socks off. Easily demo material in my book. I wouldn't call Iron Man perfect, but its damn great. This is the best Marvel superhero movie I have seen this far. Spider-Man 2, I am so sorry, but Iron Man rules. I cant believe I waited this many years for this film to finally get made, but I can tell you right now that it was well worth the wait. I can easily recommend this movie to anyone who loves superhero movies or is just looking to have some fun and be entertained. Its not perfect, but Iron Man definitely rocks.

Grade: B

REVIEW: The Strangers

The Strangers

Year: 2008
Director: Bryan Bertino
Starring: Scott Speedman, Liv Tyler, Kip Weeks, Laura Margolis, Gemma Ward
Distributor: Rogue Pictures
MPAA: Rated R

Whenever a movie comes out with a tag line mentioning that its based on true events, alot of people tune in. This is somewhat the case with The Strangers. The movie opened last Friday and managed to bring in $20 million on its opening weekend. Now by the look of its trailer, you could think its just another teen horror movie when in fact, it really isn't. Sure its a horror film, but its not your average Saw/Scream type movie. Instead, it actually looks like its got a good concept to use to bring in people to watch the film. I usually don't watch alot of horror movies because its hard for me to get scared. Sure I might jump out of my seat one or two times, but that's about it. I'm never left feeling scared after watching a horror movie. Its just that their was something I liked about the trailer for The Strangers that made me want to watch it.

Plot Outline:
James Hoyt (Scott Speedman) and Kristen McKay (Liv Tyler) are a couple undergoing an undefined conflict in the wake of a friend's wedding reception. They stop at their isolated summer home for the night and attempt to work out their problems. Before long, a trio of masked assailants are terrorizing the couple, at first with seemingly pranks like pounding on the front door and escalating to terrifying, life and death extremes.

Plot:
The movies tag line of being inspired by true events makes this film based on something. Now, I haven't read upon the events that this film is based on so I don't know. As for the story, it starts off pretty fast. We already get sunk into this story when the first couple minutes of the movie are actually the real ending for the film. It than pans around and rewinds to an earlier time in the story where the couple are just arriving in the cabin. The creepy atmosphere and pacing of the story really makes for some scary scenes. Ill admit that I jumped out of my seat a couple times. The story is nicely written and we don't get to see the faces of these strangers. The movie keeps our intentions high and makes it look like its going to be a predictable ending and yet, it throws a curve ball at us. I really liked the ending and thought it was kind of original. The thing that ultimately stops The Strangers from becoming perfect is its origin explanation. We don't get the full details on these psychotic killers so were left with wanting more. The film's running time of 90 minutes also doesn't help. I thought the movie could have been alittle longer. Other than these few nitpicks, I thought this was a good film.

Cast:
The cast for this film is really good. Scott Speedman plays as James Hoyt and he gives a nice performance. I don't think I have seen him in alot of movies, but hes very believable here. He wasn't annoying or anything and his character didn't do too much stupid things to distract you from the story. Liv Tyler plays as Kristen McKay and shes gives a great performance. Tyler is every bit as believable as Speedman if not better. Her screaming and tears look and sound great. I know she wasn't really giving much of a performance in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but she really goes all out here. I was really convinced she was in this situation instead of just acting like it. If she continues in this path, expect for some fine performances in the future. These strangers consist of Kip Weeks, Laura Margolis, and Gemma Ward. They do a nice job playing as the criminals in the movie. I cant detect their acting because they don't really say anything in the movie. They did manage to scare me a couple times in their character.

Picture:
The visual look for the movie is nice and dark. Being a just released film, the movie benefits from a clean source. Their wasn't any grain I detected and the movie has a nice slick look to it. Colors aren't used a whole lot since the movie is mostly shown at night. Blacks tend to look more darker and bolder than some of the other colors. Detail is on the good side with alot of facial expressions being noticeable. Skin tones are on the accurate side and don't look washed up. The director chose to shoot some scenes in a blur so it shows someone is behind someone else. This makes some of the shots alittle bury, but it doesn't get in the way. This isn't something that's going to blow you away, but it does look really good for a small budget horror film like this.

Sound:
The soundtrack for The Strangers is also positive. The movie doesn't have its own score, but that doesn't mean its needed. The movie has music playing in the first couple of scenes. Its mostly a record track playing old school music, but it certainly goes well with the movie's atmosphere. The music really makes for some intense moments where your not sure whats going to happen next. Their are some times where the volume of the movie is almost non existent and goes really soft. This makes it kind of obvious that something is about to happen. The movie also has some impressive bass work. Typical horror movies don't consist of alot of bass since it really goes to waste, but here its different. The bass in this film helps make the scary moments even more thrilling. Dialogue is pitched pretty high so you can clearly hear everything. There are times where you can literally hear almost anything in the movie. Some of the scary moments rely to much on this.

Conclusion:
The Strangers is a thrilling horror movie that breaths some fresh air on this tired genre. The story is nicely paced and is sure to give you a jump out of your seat. I think the casting was good and enjoyed every bit of performance that was shown in this movie. The visual look of the movie is your typical horror type film, but this film tends to look very good in alot of parts. The soundtrack is effective and gives this movie some leg. I liked this film and I hardly watch any horror movies. For people who love movies in this genre are sure to be pleased with The Strangers. Its not perfect, but its pretty damn enjoyable.

Grade: C+

REVIEW: Tideland

Tideland

Year: 2005
Director: Terry Gilliam
Starring: Jodelle Ferland, Jeff Bridges, Jennifer Tilly, Janet McTeer, Brendan Fletcher
Distributor: THINKFilm
MPAA: Rated R

Disturbing, bleak, unsettling and dark are just a few words people would use to describe Tideland. The 2005 Terry Gilliam directed fantasy film not only didn't get the critical reception it wanted, but also bombed at the box office. Critics thought it was a horrible film coming from the same director that directed such hits as the 1985 film "Brazil" and the ever so popular Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Now I haven't seen any Terry Gilliam film even though there are so many great ones, but something about Tideland had me interested. Alot of people on the teamxbox.com forums have been discussing this movie and its kind of gotten me alittle curious. Not only that, but the poster for the film also looks very creative and mesmerizing. With these intentions, I had to take a look myself.

Plot Outline:
A young girl by the name of Jeliza-Rose (Jodelle Ferland) is relocated to an old abandoned farmhouse with her drug addicted father after the girls mother, Queen Gunhilda (Jennifer Tilly) dies. The girls father Noah (Jeff Bridges), is an ex-rocker, still drugging it up with the love and support of his innocent young daughter Jeliza-Rose. What follows is a child like perspective of what the incredibly imaginative Jeliza is experiencing and how she interacts with other bizarre characters. The young girl's world is changing upside down. Where the line between her imagination and reality disappears.

Plot:
The story is somewhat of a mess. Tideland is based on a novel with the same name written by Mitch Cullin. While the movie looks to be the same story as the novel, the story never stays on one topic and keeps moving forward. The film's plot is almost none existence with the whole movie being a strange dark fantasy. The story becomes hard at times that you simply don't know whats going on. Even though the film starts off really slow and continues on that path, you never get answers to whats going on in the movie. The whole movie feels like a bad dream or better yet a nightmare. We hardly get any character development between the characters and the things they interact with. I did however, think the main character Jeliza-Rose was somewhat interesting to listen upon. The things she does and say are pretty crucial to the story since it mostly resolves around her. I wasn't fascinated by the things Jeliza experiences or goes through, but I did find them to be somewhat disturbing. While the movie might have its share of uglyness, I did find the first half to be decent. The second half is where the problems heavily occur. The story turns from decent to just plain creepy. It gets really ugly and distracting that I couldn't really get into it. Not to mention the train wreck conclusion that is the ending. Whats weird is while the story might not interest many viewers, the films got alot of messages that kind of get out to you. Whether its something related to drugs or loneliness, the message is quit clear.

Cast:
The cast is pretty good, but none of them really have their moments in the film. Jodelle Ferland plays as Jeliza-Rose and shes pretty good in her role. Being the main character of the film, its no surprise that she has alot of dialogue. I don't think shes the perfect choice to be playing someone as dark and creative as Jeliza-Rose, but I think Ferland does a good job in a tough role like this. Jeff Bridges plays as Noah and hes good as always. I really enjoyed his performance, but its hardly a breakthrough role for him. I just really wish he had some more screen time because I enjoyed his role in this film. Jennifer Tilly plays as Queen Gunhilda, but shes hardly on screen much that its hard to tell of her performance. Shes dies far too quickly in the beginning of the movie, but the small parts shes in are pretty good, but not great. We also have Brendan Fletcher playing as Dickens and this is a part that is alittle hard to judge. While this is probably hes best role in a movie, but at the same time, he looks likes hes faking it. I just wasn't convinced he was this mentally challenged boy that he was in the movie. That's just my opinion, but a decent cast all round.

Picture:
The visual look of the film is dark and grim. The movie was released in 2005 so its source is pretty clean. I wasn't able to detect much grain in the movie, but the black levels were alittle saturated in some scenes. This is only in a few scenes, but mostly the black levels are stable. The movie has a wonderful imagery that really shows the isolated feeling in the story. This makes for a striking color palette. Some of the outdoor shots looks nicely colored with bold colors. Detail is also pretty high with some great looking objects. Tideland has many scenes that would look great in high def. The movie isn't something Id use to demo off my system, but this DVD has some nice looking visual effects. Overall, this is a solid visual quality because everything is sharp and clean.

Sound:
The soundtrack in the movie is on the weak side. The film doesn't look like it has a score of it own. Their isn't a whole lot of music in the movie, but their are some sound effects that make use of the story. The music is a mix between orchestral or drums and they slowly tune off. The music comes and goes, but its in tact with the movement of the story. Bass work on this film is decent at best. There isn't a whole lot going on so bass isn't necessary. However, the movie still has some bass that usually is good at times. Dialogue is also on the heavy side with alot of the characters talking especially Jeliza-Rose. What good is that the dialogue is clean and clear. You can hear everything everyone is saying. This makes hearing conversation easy and understandable.

Conclusion:
Tideland is a dark fantasy tale that happens with Jeliza-Rose being the center of attention. The story is part disturbing and part confusing. I just wasn't thrilled by it like some other novel to film movies. The cast is somewhat good, but I just wasn't blown by their performances. Some of them could have been replaced by other celebrities. The visual look is nice and sharp. Its not going to blow your socks off, but its nicely transferred here in its full glory on DVD. The soundtrack is mostly missing in action since the movie doesn't have much music in it, but the sound effects sounds good. This isn't a movie Id recommend to kids under 16 since its got alot of strange images. While I was mostly let down by this movie, I did however enjoy some small parts. I really liked its view of objects. Id only recommend this film to those seeking a dark fantasy film, but even than Id strongly think you should go watch Pan's Labyrinth instead.

Grade: C-

REVIEW: Walk the Line

Walk the Line

Year: 2005
Director: James Mangold
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon, Ginnifer Goodwin, Robert Patrick, Shelby Lynne
Distributor: Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation
MPAA: Rated PG-13

After reviewing the great, but exhausting Indiana Jones trilogy, I thought id review something alittle less big. That's when I stumbled upon Walk the Line. The movie was always in my review basket, but it wasn't until today that I decided to give it a look. After the 2004 biopic hit "Ray", it was a given that we would see more musical biopics in the future. That's where Walk the Line walks in. The movie that many movie studios passed up on until Fox finally gave a look at it. It took over 4 years for this project to finally get green lighted for production. I personally haven't seen any musical biopics even Taylor Hackford's 2004 hit, Ray. I didn't even know who Johnny Cash was or haven't heard of any of his songs. So when this film opened wide in 2005, I just didn't care about it. I mean why should I go see a movie that I'm not even a fan of. That was my reason for not giving this film a chance. That changed when I started seeing this film getting rave reviews across the critics and making millions of dollars around the world. I couldn't just sit there while everybody was talking about it. So I decided to look into this movie and see what everyone's been fussing about.

Plot Outline:
As a young boy Johnny Cash (Joaquin Phoenix) lived a hard life in Arkansas in a farm house with his hard working family. Hes had a close bond with his older brother Jack (Lucas Till). When his brother died in a accident. Johnny's father Ray (Robert Patrick) blames his son on the incident for not being there for his older brother. Johhny grows up and comes back to marry his girlfriend Vivian (Ginnifer Goodwin) and start a family. Johnny is unhappy with his salesman job and decides to start a band with his friend Luther Perkins (Dan John Miller) and Marshall Grant (Larry Bagby) to find work as musicians. He meets a music producer who gives Johnny and his band a chance. When their song becomes a hit on the radio, Johnny and his band are traveling with other musicians like Elvis Presley (Tyler Hilton), Jerry Lee Lewis (Waylon Malloy Payne), Roy Orbinson (Johnny Holiday) and June Carter (Resse Witherspoon), a woman which Johnny respects her talented beautiful voice. His wife feels lost without her husband and she doesn't seems to support his music abilities or doesn't care for his talent. Johnny has strong feelings for June, while his marriage is falling apart and his drug habit is starting to show.

Plot:
The story is great with many moments that really capture the feeling of Johnny Cash. Now I'm not the biggest Johnny Cash fan nor have I listened to his songs. So this was the first time ever experiencing anything released to Cash. The plot is very interesting and satisfying. I'm not surprised the movie was nominated for alot of Awards. I never thought a biopic about Johnny Cash would actually be this good, but it is. The story has alot of key elements that made me sit their and grasp all this information about the famous artist without getting too technical. The story isn't original by all means, but it does work. It kind of resembles that of Ray, but its something that the real Johnny Cash went through so I cant complain. My only let down about the story is that it kind of starts off slow in the beginning. Its not long before the story picks up, but that slow start kind of bugs me. Walk the Line also tends to get alittle melodramatic at parts, but its nothing that's going to annoy you. The characters are all great and have many problems of their own in the story. Johnny Cash is very creative and very talented in the movie just like he is in real life. For a movie that took over 4 years to make, Walk the Line isn't really the movie we have been expecting it to be, but it comes damn near close.

Cast:
The cast is also great. For a movie about a specific person's life, its pretty hard these days to find actors trying to fill in the main characters role. I'm happy to say this is great casting by the studio. Joaquin Phoenix plays the main title Johnny Cash and he gives an Oscar worthy performance. I cant believe that Joaquin Phoenix did not get an Oscar for his role as Cash. He whole heartily deserved it. Its not easy playing Cash especially since your going to have to sing his songs in the movie and I cant believe Phoenix did. He sang all his songs and did nit lip sync which is really impressive. Reese Witherspoon plays as June Carter and she also does a good job in her role. Witherspoon got an Oscar for her role as June, but in my opinion, I'm not sure she should have. Don't get me wrong, but I think Phoenix deserved an Oscar more, but I'm not complaining that Witherspoon got one. She also sang all her songs which is really impressive. Ginnifer Goodwin plays as Vivian Cash and she gives a good performance. I wasn't expecting the supporting cast to be as good as the main characters, but they actually come pretty close. We also have Robert Patrick playing as Ray Cash and he too gives a good performance. I really enjoyed his role in this film. Its been awhile since we have seen him in a major movie and I'm really he was in this film.

Picture:
The visual look of Walk the Line is somewhat of a mixed bag. The movie has been released 2 or 3 times on DVD with the newest one being the extended version, but it doesn't look like the folks at Fox have remastered Walk the Line for the extended version which is a shame. The film was released in 2005, but the source doesn't hold up well. There is grain that is present through out the film. Its not a big issue and not huge like some other films, but its still their. The movie also has some muted colors. While the colors are their, they just ain't vibrant as I would have liked. They are nice and bright especially the stage scenes, but that's about it. Detail is also on the soft side with the movie not really showing what DVD can achieve in detail. While the movie has soft spots, there are some scenes that kind of benefit from detail. Close up shots show some detail on Joaquin Phoenix's face, but that's about it. The movies video quality is about average, but nothing impressive. While the movie's video quality might not be as great as I would have hope, the film does have some really nice cinematography. There are many shots that look nicely taken so props to that.

Sound:
The soundtrack in Walk the Line is more impressive than the films story and visual aspects put together. Since this movie is a biopic about Johnny Cash, their is no doubt that the film features some great music. We get many great Johnny Cash music ranging from "Get Rhythm" to "I Walk the Line". This film is filled with many Cash songs and they all sound great. A movie like this is bound to have some serious bass work and I'm happy to say it does. The movie has some great 5.1 usage with its dynamic bass. The songs all sound great with the bass cranked up high. Dialogue is very good with everything being very clear and crisp. The fact that Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon had to sing all of their songs and not lip sync is very impressive. The fact that Phoenix and Witherspoon's voices sound somewhat similar to their real life counter parts. This is easily the best part about the movie. A very solid soundtrack that's definitely up their with some of the best.

Conclusion:
Walk the Line is a great movie that's also a great biopic. The movies story is very satisfying and strong. Sure its not very original and starts off pretty slow, but its still a great movie that captures most of Johnny Cash's moments in life. The cast is top notch with Joaquin Phoenix giving a performance that should have easily gotten him an Oscar. The visual look of the movie is somewhat of a mixed bag with soft spots here and their, but still an average DVD by today's standard. The soundtrack is off the hook with many of Cash's songs appearing here and sounding better than ever. The films bass is nicely used and makes for some great 5.1 music. I really didn't expect this film to impress me this much because I have never seen a biopic about someone, but I was proven wrong. This is a great movie with some fine performances that is easily something I can recommend. I should point out that the story starts off kind of slow, but it picks up soon enough.

Grade: B