My Favorite Movies

It's relieving to see the Saw series get back on track with the 4th installment. With two relatively lackluster films that came before this movie, Saw 4 returns to the rich plot of the original. This film mystifies and builds suspense similarly to the first one.

As typical Saw movies go, this one was filled with many gruesome traps and graphic deaths. Fans of gore will be pleased, and the squeamish will... well, will be squeamish.

Besides the pleasant return of a intricate plot, this film also serves to provide a history of Jigsaw's past that put him on the path to a deranged killer. It was satisfying to see what truly made him who he was. You also get to see him in his early stages of attempting his traps... I like how the writers reassured us that he is human by showing us his mistakes on his early traps.

In the end, it's hard to delve much into the plot without giving something away. This installment introduces a new angle that Saw fans will enjoy. The ending is powerful and jaw dropping. The gore is plenty, and it's nice to see this franchise return to its roots that it made it immensely popular to begin with.

"A woman's heart is a deep ocean of secrets"

This spectacular epic re-creates the ill-fated maiden voyage of the White Star Line's $7.5 million R.M.S Titanic and the tragic sea disaster of April 15, 1912. Running over three hours and made with the combined contributions of two major studios (20th Century-Fox, Paramount) at a cost of more than $200 million, Titanic ranked as the most expensive film in Hollywood history at the time of its release, and became the most successful. Writer-director James Cameron employed state-of-the-art digital special effects for this production, realized on a monumental scale and spanning eight decades. Inspired by the 1985 discovery of the Titanic in the North Atlantic, the contemporary storyline involves American treasure-seeker Brock Lovett (Bill Paxton) retrieving artifacts from the submerged ship. Lovett looks for diamonds but finds a drawing of a young woman, nude except for a necklace. When 102-year-old Rose (Gloria Stuart) reveals she's the person in the portrait, she is summoned to the wreckage site to tell her story of the 56-carat diamond necklace and her experiences of 84 years earlier. The scene then shifts to 1912 Southampton where passengers boarding the Titanic include penniless Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio) and society girl Rose DeWitt Bukater (Kate Winslet), returning to Philadelphia with her wealthy fiance Cal Hockley (Billy Zane). After the April 10th launch, Rose develops a passionate interest in Jack, and Cal's reaction is vengeful. At midpoint in the film, the Titanic slides against the iceberg and water rushes into the front compartments. Even engulfed, Cal continues to pursue Jack and Rose as the massive liner begins its descent.

Cameron launched the project after seeing Robert Ballard's 1987 National Geographic documentary on the wreckage. Blueprints of the real Titanic were followed during construction at Fox's custom-built Rosarito, Mexico studio, where a hydraulics system moved an immense model in a 17-million-gallon water tank. During three weeks aboard the Russian ship Academik Keldysh, underwater sequences were filmed with a 35mm camera in a titanium case mounted on the Russian submersible Mir 1. When the submersible neared the wreck, a video camera inside a remote-operated vehicle was sent into the Titanic's 400-foot bow, bringing back footage of staterooms, furniture and chandeliers. On November 1, 1997, the film had its world premiere at the 10th Tokyo International Film Festival.

Review
Titanic was an excellent film, but definitely not because of anything Leo or Kate did. They, in my opinion, were just crowd attraction techniques. They could have used anyone for these roles and the movie would have been improved/worsened only slightly.

The real reason this movie was excellent was because of Jim Cameron's undying devotion to the project's perfection. He did countless retakes of key scenes, got behind the camera himself many times, and made sure every part of the movie matched the picture in his mind. He even drew the portraits himself! If all directors would put this much into their films, there would be no shortage of quality films, as there have been in past years.

In Japan in times of war among clans, the master samurai Gessai (Yoshio Harada) raises ten orphans in the mountains, one of them the girl Azumi (Aya Ueto), and they become experts in martial arts. When they are teenagers, the master assigns them to a mortal test, and then the five survivors travel with him with the mission of killing three evil warlords of clans and keeping their nation united without plunging again into a bloody war.

"Azumi" is a great adaptation to the screen of a character of a manga, a Japanese comic book. The cinematography and the choreography of the sword battles are amazing, but the story is flawed. In my opinion, the journey of the orphans against the evil warlords loses sense when each one kills the respective best friend and when they see innocent people being slaughtered in a village and do not help them. Their friendship and bounds are destroyed with their first action, and their sense of justice is completely lost when they let the bandits kill the poor harmless villagers. The intention of making the group cold-blood killers is never reached and I did not like the destructive character of the master. But the movie is a great entertainment.

Return of the King asserts itself as the final and best of the Rings Trilogy. I recall seeing it at the cinema and despite my disappointment at Saruman being cut from the theatrical version and others, including certain Witch King scenes plus The Mouth Of Sauron at the Black Gate which I loved in the book. Despite these missing the film had me glued for it's three hour duration from start to finish.
The Mouth of Sauron: My master, Sauron the Great, bids thee welcome. Is there any in this rabble with authority to treat with me?
Gandalf: We do not come to treat with Sauron, faithless and accursed. Tell your master this: the armies of Mordor must disband. He is to depart these lands, never to return.

Be it the the amazing conversation between Elrond and Aragorn where he gives him the sword. Although in the book his sword is remade and given to him in Fellowship nevertheless I admit this scene is great cinema and really sells the pure adrenaline and emotion of Aragorn's beginning transformation into a King through his impending fight against Evil, against Sauron.

Like Two Towers we are treated to separated characters, on one side it flicks to Sam, Frodo and Smeagol as they approach Mordor and Mount Doom then back to Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas trekking towards the Paths of the Dead and preparing for battle. But King really is faceted because then we also have all these other pivotal characters Gandalf and Pippin at the White City in all it's magnificence with the maddened Denethor. Theoden and Eomer preparing to help Gondor from the descending armies of darkness. The secretive Eowyn with Merry going to fight even thought they are not permitted too. Return Of the King gives so much detail and luscious fantasy and story before we even come to the battle scenes its a great film. Chuck in the battle at the White City, the final climactic onslaught at the Black Gate and the powerful scene where Sam carries Frodo up Mount Doom showing the powerful bond of friendship and vigor, bravery and compassion, then what you have is not only a film which is great but one that is the definition of what can only be described as close to perfection.

''Courage, Merry, courage for our friends.''

The musical score retains its beauty, elegance and power. The special effects, notably Gollum again, are nothing less than breathtaking, and simply move the story along. The battles are monumentally huge and exciting. There are some liberties taken with the story, especially during the end with the homecoming, and yet, everything that needed to be covered regarding the main characters was handled. After the greatest moment of the series resolves itself, the story provided a breather. And gives a good-bye to friends seen on screen for the last three years. It was truly a bittersweet feeling in realizing that there will be no''Rings" movie for 2004. I will miss this talented group and magical escape.

At this point everyone has come to know and love all of the characters, and the stakes have become tremendously high. Kingdoms are at their knees, and the only two characters who can save the day are getting weaker and weaker. The tension was very high in this episode and I can honestly say that out of all 3 this was the only one that had me on the edge of my seat. There were many memorable scenes (one of my favourites including the part with the giant spider)that made this the classic that it is sure to stay for decades to come.

''Sauron will not have forgotten the sword of Elendil. The blade that was broken shall return to Minas Tirith.''

This is the longest of the series, mostly because of the ending that seems to last a while, albeit slightly warped from the book(The Book had a Shire incident with Saruman at its peak). This was a good ending, and we can see why Frodo did what he chose to do effectively. He, and us the audience, have gone through an incredible ordeal and I think we needed that 20 minute linger. When the battle is over, and the celebrations have ended, there is a sad emptiness felt. The films spanned over 3 years, there have been the extended cuts of course, but after that, it's all over. Peter Jackson gave us an ending that was both appropriate and admirable.

Much to my satisfaction the Extended Version of Return of the King capitalizes on the already perfect theatrical version and dressing it with details sadly missing previously. What we then have are the scenes with Saruman, the Witch King parts and the Mouth of Sauron back in which I mentioned were missing. Also more material from the book to do with Faramir and Pippin, Sam and Frodo's mishaps in Mordor and their disguises as Orcs and Aragorn looking finally into the Palantir to make himself known and seen to Sauron is particularly captivating and effective.

''That's for Frodo! And for the Shire! And that's for my old Gaffer!''

For me a film can never be too long or too short, and rarely when you get a film as incredible as King do you want it to end. I know I didn't, it's magical and mesmerising, be it a moving scene with Ian Mckellan and Billy Boyd preparing for fighting at Minas Tirith or Elijah Wood and Sean Astin struggling with the Ring's evil resonance, this film is pardon the pun very precious.

A true masterpiece from Peter Jackson and his crew and cast fulfill his vision, Howard Shore utilizes the Score and adds to the beauty that is Return of the King.

This movie was intriguing to start with. It was the talk-of-the-town movie. Mainly because the book itself was a huge hit... And as many have said it, I think it is purely a love story. It's pretty cheesy but I like it. I'm a girl. I like cheesy stuffs. lol... I say it's more of a chick flick. So you girls should watch this if you want Edward Cullen/Robert Pattinson to sweep you off your feet/seats with all those amazingly sweet or rather, CHEESY lines. lol. And guys, this is a good date movie.*wink*

Final Destination is the third sequel in the horror franchise. This time a girl named Wendy see's a premonition of a rollercoaster incident. Wendy tries to tell those on the coaster what she saw. Some believed her & some didn't. The ones that didn't stayed on the the coaster & instanly died over a tragic death. Now, the ones that got off the coaster, death come to haunt them by toturing in some of the most grusome ways you could think of. Final Destination is one of the best sequels out of a trilogy. It follows the same path as the first & second one did. The deaths in this one are so violent containing splattering blood/gore. The acting was pretty good from everyone but how often do you see real good acting out of a horror movie. Final Destination is so freaking awesome horror movie filled with explosive action & excitement. 4 stars

Very Good

Great Movie

Excelent

Very good

Good

Excelent

Very Good

Good

Good

So good

very good

Few films dare to interrogate their audience by posing the most provocative moral dilemmas to which an answer is almost impossible, but Stephen Daldry's compelling 'The Reader' refuses to let you go away unthinking. It asks for empathy rather than sympathy, and most find it more difficult to elicit the former; sympathy is easy, blameless, and almost naturally instinctive. Empathy involves the mind, the conscience, and 'The Reader' is a powerful testament as to the lengths in which we can put ourselves in another's position. Based on the 1995 novel by Bernhard Schlink, 'The Reader's story concerns two pivotal characters, who at different points in their lives strike up a brief but heated affair that in itself raises a controversy of sorts. Years later they meet again in a completely separate situation, in a courtroom where lies will be tested, truth unearthed and devastating impossibilities force themselves on the innocent. The fate of one will rest on the other, and it is this key decision that backbones the moral argument we must face. Michael is fifteen when he falls ill and is offered help by a woman in the street. She cleans him up, helps him home. After three months in bed, he goes to thank her, and almost unwittingly finds her enamouring. We sense she knows this, and enjoys the attention; the strong stares and stolen glances while she pulls up her stockings. Daldry captures the tingling sensuality as the pair become lovers, and his dedicated use of pause, patience and lingering silence encases the affair in shameful secrecy. This first half of the film works effortlessly, not in large part to the dominating performances by newcomer David Kross and British talent Kate Winslet. They have a natural chemistry in the early scenes as she helps him discover more about himself than simply sexuality. In many ways 'The Reader' is about Michael's evolution from boy to man, and Kross progresses his character sensibly, from his quiet submission to this woman's unpredictable temperament to his questioning, inquiring and defending. The woman's name is Hanna Schmitz, a fact Michael only thinks to ask about weeks into the affair. As they speak more, and find out about each other's lives, Hanna takes an active interest in Michael's schoolwork, and asks him to read to her. It becomes a ritual to accompany the lovemaking. Daldry parallels the tenderness in both activities with haunting effect. In many ways the screenplay by David Hare is both the film's largest asset and central problem. He and Stephen Daldry works from the book rather than reiterating the action scene-by-scene and so creating their own envision of Schlink's enriching tale. But pacing is an issue that continually dogs 'The Reader'; with its time-jumping narrative things could be worse, but as the story progresses into its second half the use of flash-forward to Michael as an adult seems too much for the sake of art than necessity. Ralph Fiennes subtle performance, however, elevates the material considerably. In the end though, the courtroom scenes are what carry the most weight; it is no spoiler that Hanna was a Nazi Guard, but she keeps herself so enclosed, so fearful of emotion and attachment that the film and book work closely to keep the true revelation a secret. It works better this way, because initially the past that rears its ugly head is almost too much for Michael to endure, too much to put on the shoulders of the woman he once loved. But her crimes cannot be denied, the horror of her actions should not be absolved. This is where Winslet's performance moves into the extraordinary; in these key scenes she humanises a Nazi, humanises a monster capable of things we can barely cope with imagining. Yet she elicits audience sympathy, and empathy, in a single line. Her physical alterations may suggest an embodiment of this woman, but it is Hanna's simplicity and blunt admission of her crimes that show true dedication to character. 'The Reader' transforms itself continuously; not in a choppy, undercutting fashion that seems overloading, but in a subtle and restrained manner that suggests nuance, and asks for our opinion. Responsibility is awash with ambiguity; what we believe in ourselves doesn't always manifest when the situation arises, and procrastination can serve to enlighten on the one hand, devastate in the other. The film isn't as strong as the book in implying humanity's responsibility to itself, but in the end it is difficult to see beyond the actions of the individual rather than the collective. What would you have done?

Based on the classic juice, this movie again brings us the adventures of Lara Croft, in an excellent performance on the part of Angelina Jolie, for the lovers of the movies of adventures, is an excellent movie

Very Comic

Excelent

An excellent movie, with a very original and perfectly set idea, very advisable for the lovers of terror cinema

A strange movie, in the personal thing, to my it didn't convince me, but good, there are a lot of people that if, it is necessary to see it and to make a decision

Plot:
A young man blocks out harmful memories of significant events of his life. As he grows up, he finds a way to remember these lost memories and a supernatural way to alter his life.

Good

amusing