Water For Elephants

Robert Pattinson, Reese Witherspoon, Christoph Waltz

Directed by Francis Lawrence

Rating: 4 stars

Jacob Jankoski (Robert Pattinson) is in training to be a veterinarian when the death of his parents leaves his penniless and homeless. Unsure of where his future lies, he hops aboard a train and is accepted to work for a circus. August (Christoph Waltz) the ring leader gives Jacob a job cleaning up and feeding the animals. When Jacob's talent is noticed by August, he is appointed teacher of the new attraction, an elephant. Marlena (Reese Witherspoon) is to ride the elephant and be part of the show. While Jacob handles the elephant, he and Marlena form feelings for each other though they can't acknowledge it because Marlena is married to August.

Though the movie may be a disappointment to those who read the book, I really enjoyed Water For Elephants. The cast was simply brilliant and  this movie redeems Robert Pattinson's acting qualities. It was an entertaining movie though had some upsetting scenes. This isn't a movie to bring the family with (unless maybe they all read the book). What I'm trying to say is, don't bring your kids. August is a brutal character with some mental problems that he inflicts pain on the animals and is abusive. I think this movie deserved four stars because the acting was impressive, it's easy to get lost in the movie. I don't want to spoil the movie so I would definitely recommend this movie. However, if you get uneasy at scenes with animal abuse or fighting, you may want to approach this movie with caution.

The Green Hornet

Seth Rogen, Jay Chou, Cameron Diaz, Christoph Waltz

Directed by Michael Gondry

Rating: 3 stars

When Britt Reid (Seth Rogen) is left his father's large company, he wants to do something cool with his life so he decides to fight crime after he witnesses Kato's (Jay Chou) awesome fighting skills. Not knowing anything about villains or how to become a crime boss, he gets information on what his next move should be from his receptionist Lenore (Cameron Diaz). However, he attracts the wrong attention and the crime lord Chudnofsky (Christoph Waltz) is after him.

Personally, I didn't like this movie at all. It's definitely a "guy" movie but even then, thats a bit of an insult to the gender. First of all, the script for this movie was poorly written. Secondly, the bickering between Seth Rogen's character and Jay Chou's character was annoying. A five minute scene is wasted on them throwing each other across the room in a fight. Thirdly, Cameron Diaz's character should not have been in there. Her character bascially told the guys what to do, unknowingly, and to be the reason the two guys fight with each other. I was disappointed that this movie was so bad. It was two hours I will never get. I would only recommend this movie for those who enjoy pointless movies that don't require any thought.