Movie review: Shrek the Third

Director: Chris Miller and Raman HuiWriter: Jeffrey Price, Peter Seaman and Jon Zack [based on the book Shrek by William Steig]Composer: Harry Gregson-WilliamsFeaturing the voices of: Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, Antonio Banderas, Justin Timberlake, Julie Andrews, John Cleese and Rupert Everett
Old King Harold of Far, Far Away is dying, and as husband to Princess Fiona, Shrek stands to become the new king. There's one problem: The green ogre doesn't want the crown. The solution: Find Artie, who, as Fiona's cousin, is the only other possible heir to the throne. As Shrek, Donkey and Puss In Boots head off on the whirlwind adventure to find Artie, all is not what it seems. Prince Charming, who is still grieving the lose of his mother, plots a bitter revenge by assaulting the city of Far, Far Away with an army of fairytale villains. In the meantime, Shrek finds the fabled Artie, but he's anything but kingly material. Calling for desperate measures, Shrek kidnaps Artie, so he can come back to Far, Far Away and claim his namesake, but the question remains: Will there be anything left to come back to?
Best scene: The baby shower thrown by the other fairytale princesses. Think "Desperate Housewives" meets "Weeds." It's fantastic! This is a hint at the greatness that this film teetered on, but never fell into.
Favorite Performance: Amy Sedaris as Cinderella is scene-stealing in her small role. Each line was delivered with perfect comic timing - a wonderful, mature take on a dizzy princess.
Overall: With too many "morals" and not enough substance, sadly the film, while very entertaining, is nothing more than a money-making sequel. Even the jokes lack originality, which is a shame coming from a franchise famous for original takes on well-used themes.

Atonement

Written by Christopher Hampton (based on the novel by Ian McEwan)

Directed by Joe Wright

Starring Keira Knightley, James McAvoy, Saoirse Ronan, and Romola Garai

2007

Rated R
Atonement is the story of Briony Tallis (Ronan), a 13 year-old girl and aspiring writer growing up in a vast mansion in 1935 England with her mother and older sister Cecilia (Knightley). Briony has a crush on the servant's son, Robbie (McAvoy), who is in love with her sister. After witnessing and misinterpreting some interaction between Robbie and Cecelia, Briony mistakenly figures Robbie for a sexual deviant. Meanwhile, Cecelia and Robbie reveal their love to one another.
Briony's misinterpretation of Robbie's manner results in Robbie being accused and charged of a crime against Briony's cousin, Lola. Although Cecilia begs her younger sister to clear Robbie's name, Briony cannot.
The second half of the movie takes place five years later and focuses on Cecelia's and Briony's separate journeys through London and Robbie's trek through northern France.
Cecelia is a nurse in London, having cut off contact with her family in support of Robbie, who was allowed release from jail to fight in the British Royal Navy in World War II. 18 year-old Briony (Garai) turns down her place at Cambridge University to become a nurse as well, in atonement for what she did to Robbie years ago. After Robbie is wounded and separated from the rest of his battalion in battle, he wanders through France just trying to find a way back home to Cecelia.
Totally, this film is complex and tragic, visually stunning and heartbreaking. There's something for everyone: the first half is beautiful with breathtaking scenery and amazing costumes, and the second half is gritty and dark. I most definitely recommend this film.

300 Movie Review

Director: Zack Snyder
Cast: Gerard Butler Lena Headey Vincent Regan Dominic West
Genre: Action,adventure,
Distribution companies: Warner (Warner Bros.) Premiere date: March 9, 2007,
The MPAA rating: R

One Sentence: Casting required no lines, just for the males to take off their shirts.

The movie was good, however I think it wasn't great. I would even go as far as to say that it is not as good as Sin City, the movie it has splattered across the posters and commercials saying that it's from the creator of. Splattered is a good word, as the amount of blood sent splattering across the screen could turn the ocean red. Yet, the violence, seemed to be comic book in nature, and never seemed overdone, silly, or gratuitous. A beautifully put together set of images, that would make any special effects group and editor cry tears. The movie is as pretty as you think it is going to be. With the addition of stabbing with spears. Hot shirtless Spartans who all just came from a Bod Man spray commercial, fight with their golder shields and helms behind a golden sun, with crimson capes fluttering in the wind, is really wonderful to look at. Dark evil members of the Persian army help us know who is good and who is evil. But still looking awesome while enslaving all of Europa and Asia. Greek woman who are naturally beautiful and often naked keep the theme of everything in 420 BC was hot hot hot. It all melted together to really make something that I enjoyed visually.The story, stuck me a lot lighter than the visuals. A good story, which is actually a very interesting and powerful real story, of heroes who wanted to protect a nation, sort of fell flat. While it had all the elements that should have made the men, and their sacrafice mean something to us, it seemed to miss the mark. I am not sure what kept it from the grand Braveheartesque ending it so longed for, it just didn't nail it. I can't tell you why, it just was a little weak on that part. I would not say that this really breaks the movie however, it is still worthy of viewing, and even worthy of you dropping the 8 bucks per on it. So overall, I would say, yes to most of the hype, but the story could have done a little bit more.

Men's movie!

The Godfather

The summer of 1945, head of Mafia Corleone family of our department of U.S.A., " godfather " Don Vito Corleone has held the grand wedding for little daughter Connie. " godfather " has three sons: Lustful eldest son Sonny, the cowardly second son Fredo and young son Michael who just came back from two battle fields. Among them Sonny is " godfather "'s capable assistant; And though Michael knows the own business, have no interests to the " undertakings " of the families .
" godfather " is a head of Mafia, often do the illegal literary composition to act as. But at the same time he is the patron saints of a lot of small and weak common people , firmly get people to love. It is to never buy to sell and poison people that he has a criterion . He refuse demand , drugpusher of Sollozzo for this, and sharpen and New York other several contradiction , Mafia of family. Shortly before Christmas, Sollozzo kidnapped " godfather "'s big son-in-law Tom, sent someone to assassinate " the godfather ". " godfather " hits rifles and is admitted to hospital . Sollozzo wants Tom to try to make Sonny agree the drugs are bought and sold, negotiate again. The modest Buddhist nun is brave but not resourceful, he swears to revenge , but at one's wit's end. Michael goes to the hospital to visit father, he finds a bodyguard has already been bribed, and police also gang up with Sollozzo. Fighting among every family may be triggered at any moment. Mike has made a stratagem and lured Sollozzo into negotiating with the police chief. In a cafe, Michael shoots Sollozzo and police chief dead with the pistol hiding in the lavatory in advance.
Sollozzo has run away to Sicily, he has married beautiful girl there, live the life like the idyll. And at this moment, the kill in revenge among each Mafia family of New York is fiercer and fiercer . Sonny is betrayed by husband of Connie Carlo too, being hit and had is riddled with gaping wounds. " godfather " is back in business, the conciliation among every family of the arrangement . Hear Michael of sad news attacked too. Bombs are put on the car of Michael by the bodyguard who is bribed. Although Michael escapes death by sheer luck, loses the beloved wife bitterly. Mike got back to New York in 1951, married girl friend ago.
The old and feeble " godfather " has passed family's head's position to Michael day by day. After " godfather " dies of illness, Michael has begun to ferment the vengeance for a long time. He sends someone to assassinate the heads of another two hostile families , and has killed the bodyguard plotting to murder his former wife in person. At the same time he orders people to kill Carlo too, revenged for Sonny. The foe counts and wipes out to the limit. Connie rushes into the door because the husband is killed , tears and hits Michae crazily . Michae orders people to send Connie to the madhouse gravly and sternly. " godfather " that he has already become of new generation - -Don Corleone .

The Matrix

In the near future, a young network hacker Neo, finds the seemingly normal real world is controlled by a artificial intelligence system of computer which is called " Matrix " in fact, just like animal that he grazed people. Neo looks for everything about " Matrix " in the network. Saw head Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne ) who the hacker organized under the guide of a mysterious girl Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss ) later, three people go on and resist the journey of " Matrix " together.
" Neo, you once did such a dream, was so sure a thing of yours true? Can you wake up from such a dream? Can you tell the difference between dreamland and real world? "
Neo want truth to pursue " matrix " in all desperation- he hear about to whisper it always among dream, this is a kind of mysterious thing that can't know , he can certainly feel it is controlling him ominously .
"What is matrix? "Neo does not know , but he believes Morpheus , personages in a legend , one is depicted as very dangerous person and can give him an answer .
"Nobody can make clear what is ' matrix ' , you is it think to go in person only. "
Neo is facing another question: Is he it? Certainly , though does not know why , the answer to Neo is " not ". The friend of Morpheus agrees to his view. Other people are not so sure .
In addition, somebody protects " Matrix ", led by grim Smith, they grasp the startling secret.
Neo , Morpheus and Trinity must oppose the strong enemy to pursue the answer , look for oneself with their life .
Every of them step is crisis-ridden ......

All Quiet on the Western Front

During the First World War, the armies of two generations of William , emperor of Germany are at war in such countries as the east , west Line two and Russia , France , Great Britain ,etc., the war is very tense , fierce. The German government calls upon hospitable student volunteers youngly to join in the battle field with the beautiful slogan , in a certain small city of rear of Germany, a group of young students are under the circumstances that old teacher's health ask chauvinism of Rec to instigate, register to join the army. 19 -year-old Paul thinks as a hero, then under the circumstances that the government propagates so-called " fighting bravely bravely", slogan " safeguarding motherland " wholeheartedly, have volunteered to register too. He triumphant friend have nurse's profit wish , Mu Le ,etc. join the army too , among them one is called Bei Mu's, he suffers from the chest disease , and they are assigned in the same army. The teenagers hoodwinked become a soldier in this way, they part the hometown and relative, go to do a killing job for militarism. Paul and classmates enlisted in the armed forces put into tense military training. They work from dawn to dusk, run back and forth in the loose and also wet and black field, toss about several times, exhaustedly tired, and drillmaster's history asks that will " train them convincedly " then , become " the real German soldier ". These young men idealized all life , war originally, but innocent illusion evaporated now. Soon, the classmates of Paul and he after training are sent to the west line and entered a war. What is it about these young men never know the war, suffer the bombardment with fierce artillery fire once going to the front, under the report of roaring, they are all scared out of one's wits, some have cried, wet trousers of some urine. Fortunately they have met a good monitor Catchings' base , he is an old soldier, looking after these " child soldiers " who have scanty experience of life very much, he comforts them voluntarily, teach the skill that they survive in the battle field. Then Paul and classmates begin to wash and go to the front, kill others' love son, seize others' life. Playing it in the rain, they have the idea that " I do not kill , people kill me too " in arms and cry and " wash , kill ", the failure, retreat down, then attack. In the intension and fear of the height, the shellfish nurse has really gone mad. Of the one fight, triumphant nurse leg that profit wish blow up , lose the young life, Mu Le is poisonned to death by the chemical poison gas. Moreover, the soldiers but also stand the hunger , humidity , disease and terrible weather on the position . Paul's grief profoundly : "Why fight? " Paul is injured too in a fight , sent the field hospital to treat, sanctioned coming back home to visit mother after recovering. The seriously ill mother sees the safe son who comes back being extremely glad . But she raises thin sorrow again in the heart, I wonder whether the son could also come back next time. Paul's mother in order to see too but worry. The day rejoining one's unit will arrive soon, this day, Paul passes by the Alma Mater , see the teachers are still advocating the war , mobilize the students to join the army. Paul detests the war, feels grief and indignation to every gesture of them, but those students are still taking pleasure in this ! After Paul returns to the front , find a group of innocent , inmature " child soldiers " in that year as they have come in the company, there is not many old companion left. Originally, at time when he has a holiday, the companions in the class almost all died, only have a person of old monitor Catchings' base left. And at this moment, Catchings gene army supplies the difficulty, goes out to go to find " child soldier " the thing eaten. Paul runs out of the company, has a lot of trouble to find the old monitor, reunites after long separation, two people are particularly glad . Proper at this moment, a bomber flies here, throws down the bomb, the shell fragment flies to the old monitor, has wounded him. Paul spares no efforts to carry Catchings' base to the medical station , but he has already died. One day, the armistice of both sides, the west line is unusually calm. Paul waiting in the trench has found a beautiful butterfly, but when he climb out of the trench to catch butterflieses, suddenly a sound of rifles sounded, Paul was hit by the stray bullet, he fell down. However, on war communique of the headquarter of front of German army of this day, writing clearly " All Quiet on the Western Front ".

Once Upon a Time in America

Italian director Sergio Leone becoming famous in order to shoot the Italian western film, leads the audience to stretch over for more than 40 years, take Jew community of New York as the backgroud, narrate the resentment feeling enemy of the entanglement between four young playmates who grew up together while as a child. The movie emperor Robert De Niro of gold medal plays Noodles, is a protagonist of four high priests, this film and its crime career of partner as main shaft, it is one that describe between friendship and set against , loyal and reactionary gang epic film that human nature conflict of betraying etc. with end grand to ask for, the era background crosses over economy big and panic and prohibitting such important major issues in U.S.A.'s history as the drinkers' wager game and the First World War ,etc.. Send performer James Woods to publish the decorations corner in the film too in artistic skills; This film entered the best achievement in directing of Golden Ball Award in those years, and large immensely popular film sound trackses, can be rated as Italy the most favourite Ennio Morricone of master obtain with this film best original work music of Golden Ball Award nominate too, Ennio Morricone took the audience back to Jew districts of New York many years ago with sad nostalgic dubing in background music, review the conditions and customs in the past.
This is one of Sergio Leone " American trilogies ", it is the images of U.S.A. of 20-60 times in Italian's eyes. The director changes the pattern of the Hollywood traditional western movie, has moulded the personage that the underworld people in U.S.A. go through fire and water image with the unique visual angle .
U.S.A. of the twenties, the teenager in New York of nickname " Noodles " knew clever and crafty MAX with several friends of the same age. They begin to be engaged in the smuggling activity. Soon, Noodles wounds the human life while fighting with weapons in once, is put into the prison. Noodles is released and released from prison after several years, the little partners in that year have already become the ripe and stalwart youth. Under the leadership of MAX, they return to old trade, have begun a series of activities of robing, stealing, extorting . With the deepenning constantly of criminal activity, MAX seems to be dizzied with victory, unexpectedly list the federal reserve bank of U.S.A. in the action goal too. To had barred window experience noodles can't bear to watch the good friend move towards destroying , phone to report to the police stealthily , want to force MAX to accept hands. Police and Noodles of the noodles launch the fierce gunplay, MAX ,etc. are all killed . The noodles is under extreme regret and agony, leave the place to grow by oneself, have left the loved girl, walk in the alien land far.
Decades later, Noodles close to dusk goes back to the township frustratedly, the accident finds all in that year was the elaborate plan of MAX originally. He borrows the noodles and police's hands and removes the partner , escapes unnoticed, has swallowed up huge sums of money of the clique by oneself, rank among the political circles after changing to a new form, become the distinguished personages of upper class . Last Noodles MAX not killing by oneself, so as illusion redeem one's own sin of,, refused by Noodles. Jump into rubbish pulverizer commit suicide under MAX have no way.