The Maltese Falcon

Todd Says:

4 STARS

Somehow I've made through life, up to last night, without ever seeing an entire Humphrey Bogart movie. Sure I've seen scenes from Casablanca, but that doesn't really count. Well, now I want to see more.

The Maltese Falcon is the story of a detective hired to find someone, by someone shady. It turns out that our hero Sam Spade, can't trust anyone involved in this caper to obtain the Maltese Falcon, and has to figure everything out on his own. Which he does in a manner that isn't so blatant that you know what is happening or who is lying before you need to. (Pretty much everyone in the movie is lying to him.)

Sam Spade plays it cool, and drags you along through an entertaining refreshingly un-Hollywood story (by today's standards anyway). I highly recommend this movie to anyone who doesn't mind black and white films, and who can get by with zero explosions.

Gone Baby Gone

(2007)









Todd Says:

4.5 STARS

Gone Baby Gone is one of those gritty realistic crime dramas that leaves you feeling unsure at the end. It is brutally honest in it's portrayal of real people doing real-life things. The picture painted isn't a pretty one, but I think that that makes it even more poignant.

I highly recommend this movie. Especially if you like dark crime dramas.


Alexis says:

4.75 STARS, OK what the heck, 5 STARS


So it's been a little while but I have finally seen a movie that is worthy of the little time it takes to write a review. Gone Baby Gone has been on my 'to view' list for sometime now but the cost never came down on the DVD at Target, then earlier this week a friend of mine sent us two weeks of Netflix for free and this was the first movie we watched streamed instantly to our television by way of the XBox 360.

I want to begin by saying that I think Casey Affleck is a very talented actor who doesn't get enough roles. He is good in about anything he does, with this film being no exception, but he was far and away the best thing about The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, if you haven't seen that film, I highly recommend it on Affleck's performance alone.

This film being Ben Affleck's first directing of a full length motion picture (apparently there was some short back in 1993, but I'm not sure if that 16 minute film counts) I was intrigued. I liked Ben Affleck (and his brother and just about everything else) in Good Will Hunting, but I don't think he is that great of an actor, but this film, in which he also co-wrote, seemed to get a lot of good press upon it's release.

And after viewing it, I am not surprised. The film feels so real, the shots of the streets of Boston, the people in the film were rough and truly represented the harsh real lives they'd led. Even Harris and Freeman were, if anything, made to look less attractive, less healthy, less lively, than their normal roles. Affleck, who is a private investigator, is hired by the family of a missing 4 year old child and what unfolds in the next 2 hours is weaved so tightly that I didn't want to leave my seat worried I would miss the next turn. Affleck's character as well as other's in the film, are shown to you in subtleties that keep the viewer on their feet to truly understand the moral dilemma facing each of them.

This movie was surprising in just how much I enjoyed it, how I cheered for the protagonist to do the right thing and yet felt his pain in making a difficult 'right' choice. This film is the best film I have seen in a long time for many reasons but the thing I found most pleasing about it was the honesty in the characters, the setting and the storyline. This is a definite must see.

Wanted

Todd Says:
1 STAR

This is a movie about a group of the world's most elite assassins who recruit this guy, just because his father was one of them, because they need him to kill a rouge member. If you can overcome the unneccissarily unrealistic action scenes and the hollow not-well-thought-out plot, then this is a fine movie. James McAvoy and Morgan Freeman are actually pretty good actors, they just didn't have a lot to work with here.
If you are just looking for some mindless entertainment, then this is the fast-paced shooting bullets in circles, kill-em-all movie for you. Enjoy.

The Invasion

(2008)

Sue says:

.5 Stars

This movie was awful. I don't even know how they were able to persuade Nicole Kidman or Daniel Craig to be in it.

Stalking Santa

(2006)

Sue Says:

5 Stars

This is a great movie. Filmed as a "documentary", the researchers are trying to prove the exsistence of Santa Claus. They search for evidence, follow possible elves and set traps trying to prove their point. Our kids loved it. Some who had been on the fence about Santa were completely won over by the facts presented in this movie.

Quantum of Solace

(2008)

Sue says:

4 stars

Quantum of Solace picks up where Casino Royale left off, with James still stinging from the loss of Vespa . Once again James Bond seems to have traded unrealistic gadgets for unrealistic action sequences. It makes sense, if you keep in mind that we are returning to the beginning of his career. James hasn’t had time yet to become the controlled and suave agent we are used to. If you don’t mind that, this is a great movie.

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

(2008)

Sue says:

4 Stars

This is a sad story set in WWII Germany. It is told from the perspective of an 8 year old boy, the son of a German officer, who becomes friends with a Jewish boy who is being held in a consentration camp near his home. Bruno is naive and confused about the camp and what his father's job really is.