Avatar

12 years after the release of Titanic, James Cameron is back. And I've got to say his new film, Avatar is amazing. The story is about a paraplegic former marine named Jake Sully(Sam Worthington) who is sent to a moon called Pandora to fill in for his murdered twin brother as an Avatar Operator. His mission, given out by General Quaritch(Stephen Lang), is to use his avatar to get close to the Na'Vi tribe and learn about the culture since the military is after a valuable mineral called Unobtanium which rests under the tribe's Hometree. Jake soon not only becomes accepted by the tribe as well as becoming warrior, but he ends up falling in love with the tribe leader's daughter, Neytiri(Zoe Saldana). Sam Worthington, who was last seen in Terminator: Salvation, gives a great performance as Jake and I can see him having a long career. Zoe Saldana gives another knock-out performance in a sci-fi blockbuster following Star Trek, even though her performance is manly CGI, and like Worthington, I can see her becoming a huge star. Another knock-out performance comes from the legendary Sigourney Weaver(The Alien Quadrilogy) as Dr. Grace Augustine, head of the Avatar Program. With this role, Weaver proves she's still one of the most talented actresses in Hollywood. Stephen Lang(Quaritch), Michelle Rodriguez(Trudy), Joel David Moore(Norm) and Giovanni Ribisi(Parker) also give good performances as well. For this movie, Cameron not only spent 12 years making the movie, but he also developed stereoscopic cameras that simulate human sight. And I got too say it was definitely worth the wait. The effects in this movie looked incredible and when the actors were in their avatar forms, you could really tell it was them. For those who have yet to see the film, I suggest you see it 3D because it looks really incredible and it makes you feel like your actually in that world. Overall, this film is definitely one of the best movies this year with great performances, direction and visual effects. This movie gets our first

5 out of 5 stars

*****

The Twilight Saga: New Moon

There are two types of people who have an opinion on the Twilight series. Some say they love the series(Example: They love the books and the movies or they never read the books but love the movies). Others hate the series(Example: They liked the books but hate they way it was adapted into film or they just hate the series in general). I'm proud to say that I'am a huge Twilight Fan and not only did I liked the last movie, Twilight, but I really enjoyed the sequel, New Moon. The story begins as Bella(Kristen Stewart) is celebrating her 18th birthday, but she's actually not happy about it. The reason is because she fears that she's getting too old for her vampire boyfriend, Edward(Robert Pattinson), but nonetheless she has a birthday party at Edward's house hosted by Edward's bubbly sister, Alice(Ashley Greene). Things soon go terribly wrong when Edward's brother, Jasper(Jackson Rathbone) tries to attack Bella after she gets a paper cut while opening presents. Soon afterwards, Edward thinks it would be best that he leaves Bella so her life would no longer be in danger. Bella soon goes into a deep depression for several months until she starts hanging out with her old childhood friend, Jacob(Taylor Lautner) who later becomes a werewolf. Kristen Stewart does an excellent job once again playing Bella especially in the scenes in which Bella is depressed. Robert Pattinson does a really good job at playing Edward again, despite being in only a few scenes. The biggest surprise however comes from Taylor Lautner. Some of you may know that he almost lost the role of Jacob because of the changes that happens to the character in between films. Lautner had to gain 30 lbs of muscle in order to keep the part. He also read the books and studied his character. And I've got to say he delivered an excellent performance and he deserves to be part of the successful franchise. Other good performances in the film come from Ashley Greene(Alice), Peter Facinelli(Carlisle) and Anna Kendrick(Jessica). Dakota Fanning who's a talented young actress delivers a short memorable performance as Jane, a sinister member of the Volturi, a royalty-like vampire coven led by Aro(Michael Sheen, who like Fanning, has a good short performance). I know that they are some people who don't really care about seeing the Twilight movies(cough, cough, Miley Cyrus, cough, cough), but I really think you should give them a chance. If you like the films that's cool, but if you don't, that's okay, but to me there are worse films than the Twilight series. Overall, is New Moon going to get nominated for an Academy Award anytime soon?(probably not unless we're talking techs). But is it a fun, good movie to watch? Absolutely.

I give this movie 4 out of 5 stars
****

Twilight

I think it’s safe to say this was one of the biggest movies of 2008. The story is about a girl named Bella played by the talented Kristen Stewart (Adventureland, Catch that Kid) is transferring from her home in Arizona to live with her father in Seattle, Washington. She instantly becomes popular with the other kids in school but a young man who is more then what he appears Edward Cullen played by Robert Pattinson (Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire) is who catches her eye. He saves her in the parking lot when a car is about to hit her and she discovers that he is a vampire. The story is a traditional star crossed lovers story that we have seen in many other films and books. It’s a supernatural element that makes it a unique tale. Other characters include Jacob Black played by Taylor Lautner he is one of Bella’s childhood friends. My biggest problem with the phenomenon that is this series is the praise he has received for a 6 min performance which while good is nowhere near the performance that Chris Pine delivered in Star Trek (Scream Awards). While not as powerful as Buffy the Vampire Slayer this story gives a new generation a pop culture icon. Bella is our character she enters this world with our perspective and Stewart delivers a knockout performance in this role. She turns what could have been a three star movie into a four star movie. The movie could not have worked without her and she is shaping up to be one of this generations most talented performers.

4 Out Of 5 Stars

****

Couples Retreat

Vince Vaughn is currently one of the most popular comedic actors right now. He's been in such films as Dodgeball, Wedding Crashers and Four Christmases. And in his new movie, Couples Retreat, in which he co-wrote the script, he as well as the movie are very good. But this time, the movie is more of an ensemble story whose cast includes Kristen Bell, Jon Favreau and Jason Bateman. The story is about 4 very different couples: Dave and Ronnie(Vaughn and Malin Akerman), Jason and Cynthia(Bateman and Bell), Joey and Lucy(Favreau and Kristin Davis) and Shane and Trudy(Faizon Love and Kali Hawk) who decide to go on a vacation to a couples therapy retreat called Eden in order to help Jason and Cynthia save their marriage since their are considering on getting a divorce because of the fact that they having trouble conceiving. They think that only Jason and Cynthia are doing the Couples Skill Building while everyone else is just there for the fun activities. However, they soon discover that everyone has to do the Skill Building as well as one on one time with therapists to every one's dismay and the real drama begins. What I liked about this movie is that each of the 4 couples has a different background and the actors really do a good job making us believe their chemistry as friends and as couples.
Vince Vaughn and Kristen Bell are my personal favorite performances in the movie and Vaughn and Malin Akerman were my favorite couple in the movie since they seemed like the most normal couple out of all of them. Jean Reno, who's best known from the excellent underrated film, The Professional, has a funny supporting turn as the resort owner Marcel. Peter Serafinowicz, who's not really a well known actor, delivers an excellent comedic performance as the hotel manager, Sctanley. Jon Favreau who had great year in 2008 due to the success of Iron Man(which he directed) not only delivers a funny performance, but he was also a co-writer(along with Vaughn) on this really funny script. Overall, I thought this movie was really heart-warming, funny and entertaining and to me it's the perfect date movie to go see with your loved one.

I give this movie 4 out of 5 stars
****

The Men Who Stare At Goats

Over the past decade George Clooney has become a movie icon. He first hit it big on ER and has since made several successful projects including (Out Of Sight, O Brother where art thou, Oceans Eleven, Good Night and Good Luck, and Michael Clayton). This time he again picked an interesting script about a reporter from Michigan who hears of a secret military force who call themselves Jedi. His costar Ewan McGregor (Star Wars I-III) plays the journalist the movie also features Kevin Spacey as the antagonist Larry Hooper. The movie has some extremely funny scenes and dialogue, Clooney plays Lyn Cassidy the most gifted of the Jedi and he teaches McGregor there ways the obvious joke being he played one in the Star Wars films. The biggest problem is I think it could have been better it suffers from a similar problem that plagued the popular film Napoleon Dynamite very funny at times but also kind of boring at certain points. In this case however I think the actors find a way to make it work I just feel that the movie had the potential to be great and it ended up just being a good movie.

3 Out Of 5 stars
***

The Stepfather

I recently viewed the movie The Stepfather, and I have to say it was a disappointment. Dylan Walsh actually at times was quite creepy but the sinister stare that works the first couple of times becomes a tad repetitive on the 3,857th time. The director went to that technique far too often. Amber Heard (Pineapple Express) Is a fantastic young actress who gave a decent performance in this picture however I think the costume designer failed miserably Don’t get me wrong she has a great figure but in almost every scene the girl is in a bikini or panties and I didn’t mind but it seemed like a waist of her abilities. Penn Badgley (Gossip Girl) Has potential to be a terrific young actor but I think he doesn’t really challenge himself enough the great actors always seem to try something new to improve there range and it in some ways felt like he just phoned it in with this performance he was ok but I think if he wants to have a long career post hit TV show he needs to find better material and grow as an actor. The story isn’t a complete failure but it falls into a similar formula which most horror movies suffer from its far to cliché and it doesn’t really have any surprises that shock you. I will say however that the chase sequence was actually really good it’s a shame there were not more action sequences like this one throughout the movie and there is a moment when I actually was startled which does not happen to me often when I watch a scary movie. If your in a mood for this kind of movie you could possibly enjoy this but I think this film is far too uneven to recommend Heard, and Walsh gave good performances but the script was weak and the director was lazy with elements throughout the film.

2 out of 5 stars

**

Zombieland

There are movies that you can pretty much tell how they will be from the trailer Zombieland looked funny and original, but I expected the plot to be rather weak I was wrong. the movie is very creative and all 82 minutes are pure entertainment. Woody Harrelson who recently appeared in (No Country For Old Men) gives a fantastic performance as Tallahassee all of the lead roles have names of cities as they want to remain confidential from people they don’t trust. Jesse Eisenberg gives a solid comedic turn as the protagonist his use of sarcasm was amusing. Eisenberg’s character has a set of rules he lives by for survival. These were enjoyable as they appear sporadically throughout the film. The other main characters are a pair of sisters Emma Stone (Superbad) and Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine) Stone shows that she has range with this role and Breslin is maturing as an actress right before our very eyes. The zombie bits are funny but for the most part it’s a story of people coming together in a time of crisis there is a terrific cameo that you should be on the lookout for and the movie was a nice surprise I recommend it if your in the mood for a comedy/horror movie.

4 out of 5 stars
****

Whip It!

I think Ellen Page is one of the most talented actresses of her generation. She has delivered great performances in such films as X-Men: The Last Stand and Juno, which she was nominated for an Academy Award. And in her new movie, Whip It!, she as well as the movie are very good.
Page plays Bliss Cavendar, a misfit who constantly does beauty pageants to please her mother(Marcia Gay Harden) despite the fact she's not really into it. One day, she goes to Austin and sees a roller derby league competition and decides that this is what she wants to do. She joins a team called Hurl Scouts(whose members include Kristen Wiig, Drew Barrymore, Eve and Zoe Bell) and eventually becomes a popular star. Page does an excellent job in this movie and proves that she is one of the most talented young actresses in Hollywood. Other stand-out performances include Wiig as Maggie Mayhem, the leader of the Hurl Scouts who encourages Bliss to follow her dreams and Juliette Lewis as the arch rival Iron Maven. The other cast members(Barrymore, Eve, Bell, Jimmy Fallon, Harden, Daniel Stern and Alia Shawkat) deliver good performances as well. I also liked the relationship between Page and her parents(Harden and Stern) and I thought they had great scenes together. Drew Barrymore makes her directorial debut and I have to say I was very impressed with her. She does not only a great job directing her actors, but she also delivers great action scenes when it comes to the roller derby scenes. Overall I thought going in to it I would like it but I never expected to really love it like I did.

I give this movie 4 out of 5 Stars
****

Sorority Row

Sorority row is one of those movies where when you see the end credits you want to clap, but not because you enjoyed the movie. It’s too predictable and cliché if there is someone killing people left and right should I go off by myself into danger or go with others for safety? The other sad part is as these girls are being killed off you don’t really care they weren’t particularly endearing to begin with. The acting was awful it didn’t help that the script wasn’t that great to begin with I’m sure any talented Actresses would have tossed there scripts in the garbage I’ll forgive Carrie Fisher because she doesn’t get offered plum roles anymore. There is an unexpected twist at the end but by the time you get there it doesn’t make a difference. I hate how this movie portrays women in general nearly every character in this movie is unlikable even some of the ones your supposed to pull for. One of my all time favorite TV series Buffy The Vampire Slayer was great because it flipped the traditional concept of girl getting killed by the villain to girl kicks the bad guys A$$! This movie doesn’t break any new ground if your in the mood for a Scary movie I recommend Jennifer’s Body at least that movie had some creativity. The one bright spot was Briana Evigan who gave a solid performance as the one character who had some qualities that you hoped they would survive this movie. However I think your time would be far better spent if you didn’t see this movie It is one of the worst movies of the year and is not worth your money.

1 out of 5 stars
*

Love Happens

I like watching romantic comedies even though most of the time it's usually cheesy and predictable. And that's what I thought Love Happens was going to be like, however it isn't. Love Happens is a romantic comedy-drama starring Aaron Eckhart and Jennifer Aniston. The movie is about a man named Burke Ryan(Eckhart) who copes with the death of his wife(car accident) by releasing a book, "A-Okay!" which becomes a huge best seller and helps him become a self-help guru. Burke goes on a business trip to Seattle, Washington to have a grief seminar to help people like him overcome losing loved ones(car accidents,cancer,etc.). While there he meets and falls in love with a florist named Eloise(Aniston), who just broke up with her musician boyfriend.
He also sees his father-in-law(Martin Sheen), who thinks he's not over his wife's death. Aaron Eckhart, who I think did a fantastic job in last year's, The Dark Knight, does a good job with this role and Jennifer Aniston, who I usually think plays the same characters over and over again, does a decent job with this role. The supporting cast(Martin Sheen, Dan Fogler as Burke's manager, Lane, Judy Greer as Eloise's friend-co-worker, Marty, and John Carroll Lynch as Walter, a grieving father in Burke's seminar) does a decent job in this movie. One cool part of the movie was that it was set in Seattle(which I've been many times since my dad used to live there) so it was really cool seeing the places I've been to onscreen. I think the weakest part of the movie was there wasn't really a lot of funny moments, since it was mostly drama and sad moments. Although the funniest part to me was the scene in which Burke sneaks into his father-in-law's house to steal their parrot, Rocky(who belonged to his late wife) and setting it free into the wild. When he sees his father-in-law at one of his seminars, he tells Burke that he's not mad at him for taking Rocky because he thought it annoyed him. But in a later scene, Rocky somehow flies back to his house to his dismay. Overall, if you like romantic comedies but not a big fan of sad moments, I suggest you don't see this movie. But if you don't mind sad moments or you'll a big fan of the actors, I suggest you watch this movie. Overall, it's a good, not great, romantic comedy-drama.

I give this movie 2 out of 5 stars
**

Jennifers Body

I usually don't give a crap about seeing horror movies(although my all-time fave horror movie is Alien), but I was really interested in seeing Jennifer's Body because of 3 reasons. One reason was that it is a horror comedy which sounded interesting to me. Another reason was that it had several actors and actresses that I liked(Megan Fox, Amanda Seyfried and Adam Brody). And the number 1 reason I had to see this movie was that it was written by Academy Award Winner Diablo Cody who wrote one of my all-time favorite movies, Juno, so I was interested to see how this will turn out. And I have to say, I was not disappointed with this movie. It is a really good horror movie as well as a good comedy. The story from the very beginning pulls you in for a roller coaster ride and doesn't slow down. The movie's about a popular, attractive girl named Jennifer(Fox) who thanks to an evil rock band(led by Brody) becomes possessed by a demon and soon starts killing the boys at her school. When her shy best friend Needy(Seyfried) discovers what happened to her, she decides to kill her. Megan Fox does an excellent job at playing an evil girl and delivers great sarcasm. Amanda Seyfried, who I had seen before in Mean Girls and Mamma Mia, really impressed me with her role as the best friend who tries to kill her best friend. If you think she's a shy, helpless girl, this movie will surprise you. Adam Brody, from The O.C., makes a good villain. The rest of the cast(Johnny Simmons, Kyle Gallner and Amy Sedaris) does a decent job and Diablo Cody's script is very funny, hip and has many pop culture references. If you've seen or are fans of Cody's previous movie, Juno, you will recognize some of the actors from that movie in this movie. For example, J.K. Simmons(Juno's Dad) plays Jennifer and Needy's teacher, Valerie Tian(Su-Chin) plays Jennifer and Needy's classmate who is a big fan of the evil rock band and Aman Johal(Vijay) has a small role as foreign exchange student from India. If your are fans of the Alien movies, watch out for a Lance Henriksen(Bishop) cameo towards the end of the film. Overall this movie is very good, scary and proves that Diablo Cody is not a one-hit-wonder. I give this movie

4 out of 5 stars.
****

The Informant

Be truthful, when you think Matt Damon you usually think "that should be a good movie". Well my viewers, I regret to inform you this is far from a decent movie. Its a Boring movie. The Informant starring Matt Damon is a movie about Mark Whitacre, a vice president of an agriculture business who becomes an informant for the FBI when he discovers the business is price fixing. I don't know about you, but after reading this and not watched the movie just yet you re probably thinking "sounds interesting". Well, like I said before you are wrong. The movie is really nothing but talk, talk, and whisper. If I wanted to hear businessmen discussing business I would've put in an application for Enron or another company. The soundtrack of the movie is really nothing shorter than elevator music. Really, it sounds like they didn't try. Well, unless you are interested watching C-SPAN or CNN. But, for everything I said, there are some good things associated with this movie. Great acting by Damon and includes some funny moments. Also, the weirdest things in this movie was Matt Damon's voice overs which were really random. For example, stories about Polar Bears and neckties. O.k, that's kind of odd. For everything I said this movie gets

2 out of 5 stars.
**

Inglorious Basterds

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Hey Yall!!!

What's up people, welcome to movie-protectors. The objective of our blog is to make sure nobody flushes $10 down the toilet. With ticket prices growing and no end to the recession in sight, it's important to know what movies are worth seeing and what films to not lose two hours of your life on. I mean when your lying on your death bed do you really want to think god I lost 2 hours of my life on Alien 3, I hope not. This is the goal of our blog we hope you enjoy our upcoming reviews we take in nunerous films and look forward to sharing our opinions with you.