The previous three movies, which also starred Tom Cruise, haven’t always delivered such a high level of excitement to viewers. I was actually surprised when I saw the fourth movie because I had low expectations from watching the previous movies. The newest film is very modern and obviously more technologically advanced, but that’s what makes it even more interesting to watch.

Before seeing this movie, I was told that it is extremely long (and it is) but I definitely didn’t mind watching 132 minutes of Ethan Hunt (Cruise) making his comeback. I do feel that Cruise is a well-defined actor and his popularity has slowly declined throughout the years, but this movie has dignified his comeback.

Ghost Protocol has a similar plot to the earlier Mission: Impossible films. This time, Hunt is assigned a mission to stop a man who has a codename “Cobalt,” because he is planning to fire a nuclear missile from Russia to the United States. In other words, Hunt and his team are in charge of stopping a nuclear war from taking place.

Since Hunt and the entire IMF (an imaginary agency made for the movie) have just been blamed for bombing the Kremlin, Hunt and his team have to be extra careful, so they’re disguised in all the moves they take. The filmmakers also make a point of working in some emotional drama regarding Hunt’s wife.

Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol is an overall great movie. It shows what a good action movie (with a little romance thrown in) should be. Viewers will be blown away by all the vehicle crashes, bombings of buildings, and we can’t forget about Cruise’s magnificent scene in which he climbs to the 134th floor of the Burj Khalifa tower in Dubai.

This movie is definitely one of those films that you can watch over and over and never grow tired.

Viewers who haven’t seen any of the previous movies must see the other three movies in the Twilight saga before going to see Breaking Dawn or they won’t understand what’s going on.

If I had to rate the movie on a scale of 5 stars, I would give it 4. The film feels rushed but still includes the most important details of the first half of the book.

I also think the actors have improved in their performances since the earlier Twilight films. Kristen Stewart was horrid in the Twilight and New Moon films and showed progress in the film Eclipse, but she really embraces the role of Bella in this film. Stewart shows more emotions and doesn’t seem stiff as she had in the previous movies.

Robert Pattinson also improves in Breaking Dawn: Part One;  he seemed like he was in constant pain in the earlier films, but he  embraced and accurately portrayed the Edward character from the book series. The other actors and actresses have done a marvelous job throughout all of the films.

Breaking Dawn: Part One was quite enjoyable, but it is not for children due to several graphic scenes. This film is also great for seeing with your friends and a good movie for couples.

            Gnomeo and Juliet starts off showing two households, the Capulets and Montagues, both alike in dignity, on Verona Street. The elderly neighbors who occupy these homes have been feuding for as long as anyone can remember, and the feud has trickled down to the point where even the gnomes that occupy the gardens of the opposed are in a constant war. It is, and always has been, that Mr. Capulet’s Red gnomes, lead by the widowed Lord Redbrick, and Miss Montague’s Blue’s, headed up by also widowed Lady Blueberry, are in constant battle. The offspring of these small porcelain leaders, aptly named Gnomeo of the Blue clan and Juliet, daughter of the over-protective Lord Redbrick, have been raised to despise their neighbor gnomes. On one fateful night in a garden shack just outside the boundaries of either yard, however, these star-crossed lovers meet in disguise and fall in love. Quickly though, true colors are revealed and it becomes obvious they cannot be together. But since when has that stopped teenagers in the past?

            Shenanigans and cheesy pop-culture references ensue as the young gnomes try to let their love blossom while staying true to their families’ loyalty. If you’ve ever read or watched Romeo and Juliet or any spin-off such as West Side Story, Shakespeare in Love, or even a Romeo and Juliet themed episode of your favorite sitcom, you understand the general storyline. As you probably know, the ending is tragic to say the least. But, seeing as Gnomeo and Juliet is a family-oriented, G-rated movie, the ending is slightly more optimistic. Although the ending is predictable, there are twists and turns along the way that give the movie a loveable, zany spin. Although Gnomeo and Juliet may not be a rendition of Romeo and Juliet that will be remembered for eternity, it makes for a colorful, enjoyable 84 minutes.

The film features Bruce Willis as Frank Moses, a retired CIA black ops agent who has been labeled “RED,” or Retired, Extremely Dangerous. When the CIA realizes Moses is still a danger to them, they send an assassination team to take care of him. However, Moses manages to escape and then goes on a countrywide romp to gather his old team of CIA agents. The team includes his old mentor Joe Matheson (played by Morgan Freeman), the paranoid Marvin Boggs (played by John Malkovich), and assassin Victoria (played by Helen Mirren). With this all-star cast, Red provides a fantastic two hours of action and comedy.

The movie was released to mixed reviews, primarily because critics felt that as an adaptation of a comic book of the same name, it mostly would appeal to fans of the series. But I think that assessment does this film a disservice. While Red is no Inception or The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra, it certainly isn’t a horrible film by any means whatsoever.

This film is best suited for comic book fans, action fans and comedy fans. While Red may not make it into many film libraries, I certainly find it to be worth more than a single watch. Don’t pass up Red if you have the chance.

What does Red get in terms of scoring?

Quality – 3/5

Length – 5/5

Characters – 5/5

Timelessness – 2/5

Average – 3.5/5

People say the world of dreams is a place of solitude. However, Leonardo DiCaprio and company offer a different idea in the film Inception.

The movie features DiCaprio as Cobb, the world’s most skilled extractor, a person who steals ideas in another person’s dream, and his mission is to plant an idea in a wealthy businessman’s head to dissolve his father’s company. The process is called Inception, and it requires a dream within a dream within a dream.

Inception is an instant classic, a movie that pushes the boundaries of where the mind can go and what it can do. I am a massive fan of Inception and have been since I first saw it. The perfect blend of action, story and outright thinking, Inception provides a dreamlike environment that keeps the viewer guessing about what’s a dream and what’s not.

The idea behind Inception is certainly strange, but with a cast of actors such as DiCaprio as Cobb, Joseph Gordon-Levitt as his partner Arthur, and Ken Wantanabe as their client Saito, Inception perfects the idea in a way not often seen in films. The film itself is directed by Christopher Nolan, noted for his work on Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, the blockbuster hits in 2005 and 2008, respectively.

All in all, I find Inception to be one of the best films I’ve seen in a long time. It’s yet another great film by DiCaprio, with great direction from Nolan. I highly recommend seeing this film as soon as possible, and then watching it again and again.

What kind of score does Inception get?

Quality – 5/5

Length – 5/5

Characters – 5/5

Timelessness – 5/5

Average – 5/5

I’m not much of a comedy person, but I thought this movie was hilarious.  Not only does this movie bring suspense about what dumb things Ethan Tremblay, played by Zach Galifianakis, will do next, but it also brings plenty of adventure.  After I saw it in theaters, I wanted to watch it again and again, and I’m still quoting lines from it.

The plot is similar in many ways to The Hangover. Peter Highman, played by Robert Downey Jr., is about to fly home to California to witness the birth of his baby, but his journey takes a crazy turn when Tremblay gets them both kicked off the plane. The movie opens with this funny scene and then proceeds to get ugly for Highman. The first mistake he makes is agreeing to let Tremblay give him a lift to California. Tremblay leads him on an “adventure” that leaves him with three cracked ribs, a broken arm, and a gunshot wound.

The second mistake Highman makes is smoking marijuana with Tremblay, which gets him thrown in a Mexican jail. It’s safe to say Highman hates Tremblay by this point, and things couldn’t get much worse, but they do. After encountering his friend Darryl, who “spent some time” with Highman’s wife nine months prior, Highman even has doubts that his soon-to-be-born baby isn’t even his. In any movie with Zach Galifianakis, nothing is as at seems.

Highman goes through the gauntlet in his few days with Tremblay, whether running from the police or accidentally drinking his friend’s father’s ashes. Yet this movie does have a happy ending.

I don’t think Phillips could have produced a better film than Due Date. It had all the right elements and was just plain fun to watch. I’ll be looking forward to this director’s next big hit, which will likely be fairly soon. Good job to Phillips, and I hope anyone who hasn’t seen the film yet goes to get some big laughs from one of the funniest comedies I’ve ever seen.

The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra is a spoof of the 1950s B-movie horror genre movies that were well-publicized but didn’t star anyone famous and filmed in color but turned black and white in post-production. The film stars writer-director Larry Blamire as Dr. Paul Armstrong, along with Fay Masterson as his wife, Betty. In The Lost Skeleton, they hunt for atmosphereum, a fictional element, which happens to lead to a smorgasbord of silliness, including mutants, aliens, and the appearance of the legendary Lost Skeleton itself.

The film itself is clearly a comedy, but the actors portray it as a serious film – just as the actors did in the old Ed Wood movies, such as Glen or Glenda? and, of course, Plan 9 from Outer Space.

With lines like, “I hate to see people get horribly mutilated,” “Quick! Fold yourself in the middle,” and “Seriously, we’ll wash the dishes before we leave,” The Lost Skeleton certainly provides many laughs for the audience. The “drama” is portrayed so seriously that it gives this film a comedic level that few comedies these days can obtain.

My biggest love for this movie comes in that it’s a movie that you can watch multiple times and still laugh about it. The movie’s lines are silly, repetitive, and sometimes just plain laughable, yet they’re delivered in a way that makes the movie so much funnier than it would be if it had been done as a comedy. This movie is a must-see.

SCORE

QUALITY – 5/5

LENGTH – 4/5

CHARACTERS – 5/5

TIMELESSNESS – 5/5

AVERAGE – 5/5

Diseases are one of the biggest fears in today’s crowded society. What with H1N1, HIV, AIDS, and even the common cold and flu, diseases can be extremely scary. In Breck Eisner’s remake of the 1973 George A. Romero classic, The Crazies, fear isn’t the only thing people are catching from disease.

Set in the middle of the fictional Ogden Marsh, Iowa, The Crazies provides thrills and chills caused by a mysterious affliction that causes the bearer to go insane and then go on a killing spree. The film starts at a high school baseball game, which is suddenly interrupted by a trusted old man of the town, Rory Hamil. The lone man is armed with a 12-gauge shotgun, which he raises and points at the sheriff. A horrific series of bloody happenstances occur soon after, leading to the decimation of the small town.

The Crazies stars Timothy Olyphant as Sheriff David Dutton, and Radha Mitchell as Judy Dutton, the sheriff’s wife and local doctor of the town. Supporting them throughout this adrenaline-pumping fearfest are Joe Anderson as Deputy Russell Clank and Danielle Panabaker as the hospital assistant Becca Darling.

When I saw the trailers for The Crazies, I immediately thought the movie looked like a great thriller for today’s horror market. My suspicions were confirmed when I actually saw The Crazies. The flick is a gorefest, but at the same time it manages to keep an intelligent undertone that many films these days seem to forget. In my mind, this keeps the audience from getting bored with the repetitive gore, which movies like the Saw series have done time after time.

Although the city and names are different, it’s clear that the remake of The Crazies is a modern update of a cult classic.

So what does The Crazies gain in terms of a score?

 QUALITY – 5/5

LENGTH – 4/5

CHARACTERS – 4/5

TIMELESSNESS – 3/5

AVERAGE – 4/5

What do you get when you combine lots of blood-sucking vampires, some mythical twists and one well-dressed Wesley Snipes? The 1998 classic action-horror movie, Blade.

The movie is the tale of a half-vampire, Blade, played by Snipes, who lost his parents at birth, and his mentor, a veteran vampire hunter named Whistler, played by Kris Kristofferson, who has hunted down vampires since they killed his family. The duo hunts down vampires in New York City, teaming up with a human woman named Dr. Karen Jenson, played by N’Bushe Wright, who discovers new ways to defeat the vampire menace.

In this film, the heroes battle against a vampire by the name of Deacon Frost, played by Stephen Dorrf. The evil vampire mastermind plans to bring all vampires under his control. This evil scheme is part of his secret master plan to summon an ancient vampire legend, enslave humanity and destroy Blade in the process.

When I first saw Blade, I thought it was one of the best vampire movies I’d seen in ages. The movie has a firmly established root in the legend of classic vampirism and vampire hunting. However, the film manages to create a more modern vampire-hunter story. Blade takes the old stakes and bows and turns them into silver spikes and shotguns, keeping viewers on the edge of their seats to see what’s next in Blade’s bag of lethal tricks. Combine this with a great techno soundtrack, and you’ve got all the makings of a great two-hour bonanza of vampirism and action that makes for an excellent view.

I didn’t give this movie a perfect five stars for a few reasons. The main reason was the speed and short length of the movie. It went so fast at times that it took a few viewings before I found new plot lines in addition to the major ones. The movie doesn’t seamlessly integrate the action and slow parts, where the major key plot points and dialogue converge.

All in all, this movie is a great vampire flick for anyone looking for a vampire action movie from a separate vein than movies such as the Twilight series. If you’re looking for a movie that doesn’t quite fit into the rigid horror or action genres, but you’re not looking for another “Sparkle Fairy Chick Flick” like Twilight, check out Blade. If you’re looking for a movie that uses a more classic model of vampirism legend instead of newer, romantic, “teenage” movie, then Blade is definitely the movie for you. 

 QUALITY – 4/5

 LENGTH – 4/5

 CHARACTERS – 5/5

 TIMELESSNESS – 5/5

 AVERAGE – 4/5

If you had to rate your appearance on a scale from one to ten, what would you rate yourself? Dealing with your appearance as being a four or an eight can be tricky, but even trickier is thinking that you can only date someone two points higher than you or less. She’s out of My League is all about the one in a billion chance when a solid ten dates a weak five.

Every comedy that has come out in the past couple of years has either been a great success or a huge flop. But even though She’s out of My League wasn’t a huge box office success or a success with the critics, I still think it’s one of the better comedy movies out there. Whether it was the funny lines, situational humor or even just awkward banter, I found myself laughing out loud throughout most of the movie. This movie is like Step Brothers in the fact that it’s just a conversational movie; it’s not the same type of humor in any sense, but many of the better parts come from Kirk (Jay Baruchel) just hanging out with his friends.

But this movie isn’t perfect; the storyline is the same as every other romantic comedy out there and therefore is extremely predictable. Many of the small parts were poorly cast, especially Marnie as Lindsay Sloane, who played her part of the annoying ex-girlfriend a little too well and a little too annoyingly. Also, in many parts you could tell the actors and writers were trying way too hard just to get a laugh.

Kirk is a below-average guy. He has below-average looks, a below-average job and really just a below-average life. Luckily, he finds a woman’s cell phone and she’s so grateful to get it back, she invites him out. Molly (Alice Eve) is successful, rich and one of the most attractive girls alive, but she decides to play it safe and date a guy who won’t treat her poorly, which is where Kirk comes in. Through a mess of family and friends, Kirk and Molly have to go through a lot of trouble just to be together. And with everyone telling him they don’t belong together, Kirk finds himself doubting the relationship due to his self-consciousness issues.

One of the criticisms of She’s out of My League is the use of vulgarity throughout the film. Well, to critique the critics, the film is rated R; what did they expect? Even if it wasn’t, with the way our society has been accustomed to sex, alcohol and profanity, there’s nothing people haven’t heard or seen. If you flip through the radio you’ll hear songs about alcohol or drugs that are worse than anything you’ll see in this movie. And profanity has even become second-nature in the USA today. Honestly, I’ve heard more vulgar things come out of a nine year old at McDonalds than from She’s out of My League.

She’s out of My League doesn’t break any barriers in the comedic world. It doesn’t give insight to relationships or how to fix your life; but it is a truly funny movie and these days that’s hard to find. And what I do find to be special about this movie is that it’s a great date movie but also a movie to just watch with your friends. She’s out of My League won’t change your life, but it will give you some great quotes that will keep you laughing for a very long time.