Elysium

Matt Damon, Jodie Foster, Sharlto Copley, Alice Braga

Directed by Neill Blomkamp

Rating: B

In the distant future of 2154, Earth has been so overpopulated that the wealthy have moved off the planet to Elysium, a space station that is reachable by shuttles in nineteen minutes.

It's no secret that even today, the income gap between the rich and the poor keeps increasing (Face the Facts USA) and that the world's population today is climbing up to 7.1 billion people (US census). "Elysium" takes a real-world concern and puts a theatrical spin to it. By 2154, there is no middle class. Blomkamp's Los Angeles is a run-down city where no decent homes are left standing. On Elysium, the wealthy can live forever by using medical machines that can cure cancer in less than five minutes.

"Elysium" follows Max's (Damon) story. As a kid, he learns about Elysium and promises himself and his friend he will get them there. Grown up, Max has a criminal record (auto-theft, resisting arrest) and works at a low-level job working with machinery. When a complication arises at work, Max gets a death sentence after being exposed to a high dosage of radiation. With only five days left to live, his only hope to survive is by getting to Elysium.

Desperate, Max will do anything to keep living and that includes a dangerous job extracting important information from a billionaire's mind. This billionaire is the CEO of the company he worked for and also has the reboot information for Elysium in his head. This information was written for Delacourt (Foster), a government official with a better idea of how Elysium should be run under a new president who will give her more power.

I liked how "Elysium" had a realistic view on the future. While I'm not too sure how realistic technology will get by the year 2154 (machines that can cure cancer?), "Elysium" is a good sci-fi thriller. It's as gory as "District 9" and the camera does not shy away from exploding people. It's violent and is rated "R" for good reason, but fans of action, post-apocalyptic worlds, and Matt Damon will not be disappointed.

Take This Waltz

Michelle Williams, Seth Rogen, Luke Kirby

Directed by Sarah Polley

Rating: C+

Margot (Williams) has a  restless nature. She obviously wants something more to happen in her life than the one she is living with her tame but loving husband, Lou (Rogen). They have fun together, but five years of marriage later and Margot is bored with the relationship. Lou writes cookbooks and is constantly making some chicken recipe in the kitchen. From what we see of their relationship, they love each other but there's no passion.

Coincidence seems to happen a lot when Margot meets Daniel (Kirby) in Nova Scotia. They happen to sit next to each other on the plane ride home. They share a taxi because after getting comfortable with each other up in the air, they find out they live near one another. Daniel says he can just walk home from Margot's house, only to get out of the taxi, point across the street and say "I live there". It's only inevitable the two should meet again, and with each encounter Margot is allowing herself to develop feelings for her neighbor.

It's hard to understand what Margot says sometimes when she decides to talk in a baby voice. Her character is scared of taking chances. Daniel is a big risk to take but he encourages her flirtations and makes her feel bold enough to ask "What would you do to me now?" when they're alone together. Margot tries seducing her husband at the wrong moment, like when he's cooking, and his rejection makes her feel embarrassed. So she flees to Daniel who won't rebuff her advances.

"Take This Waltz" changes the "unhappily married woman has an affair" plot. Instead, the married woman is in love with her husband. She was happy with what she had until she met Daniel, who she couldn't stay away from. There's not enough character development to understand why Margot has these fears, and there's that feeling that Daniel could be a stalker, even if it's just coincidence how Margot and Daniel meet. There's a likability to the movie. It's nice to see Seth Rogen in a role where he's not crude, but kind of genuinely sweet.

Like Crazy

Anton Yelchin, Felicity Jones, Jennifer Lawrence, Alex Kingston

Directed by Drake Doremus

Rating: B

"Like Crazy" is a love story. Boy and girl date, fall in love, enter complications here that during the course of the film, they try to work out. So what is it that attracts us to watch a movie we've seen told hundreds of different ways?

Anna (Jones) is from England, studying in Los Angeles with a student visa. Here comes Jacob (Yelchin), a local student. They fall in love. Anna's visa expires at the end of the semester, but she chooses to stay with Jacob. It's too hard to leave him. When she briefly goes home to England during the summer and comes back to Jacob in L.A. immigration officials refuse her entry because she violated her visa. The film boils down to their struggle of keeping a relationship.

We see both perspectives of Jacob and Anna. They fall in love fast, and for Anna, hard. The film is intimate, capturing the moments they fall in love, showing the first few months they're together in snapshots and indie music. When it's time for Anna to leave, we don't want her to go as much as she struggles to decide whether she should stay or not. But ultimately, they do get separated, and it's that time apart when Anna is denied entry into the U.S. that Jacob's love is quickly fading. He finds another girlfriend, played by Jennifer Lawrence. Anna tries to let go but she finds herself dialing Jacob's number after a night out with friends. She tells Jacob to come to London, and he goes willingly as soon as can.

It's undeniable that Yelchin and Jones have an on-screen chemistry together. It's needed to portray these characters well, to get across to viewers they're just two young adults fighting to keep themselves together. You want their relationship to thrive because you've invested time into seeing their relationship start. "Like Crazy" may not be the perfect love story but if you like sad romance movies, not a cheesy romantic comedy, this may be one to add to your "must-watch" list.

The Host

Saoirse Ronan, Max Irons, Jake Abel, Diane Kruger

Directed by Andrew Niccol

Based on the book by Stephanie Meyer

Faithfulness to the book: 9/10

Rating of movie: B

In Stephanie Meyer's sci-fi novel, Earth has been taken over by friendly aliens in the form of a silvery floating orb. These orbs are implanted in the spinal cord and take over human bodies. Earth no longer has wars, crime, or rude people. Sounds like Utopia, right? The humans who have managed to escape being taken over don't think so. Melanie (Ronan) fought tooth and nail not to be taken by the Seekers (humans taken over by aliens who search for those still truly human). Melanie's love for her brother and the group of survivors she hides with is what keeps her mind conscious despite having her body taken over.

Though Melanie can't speak for herself, she mentally fights the alien called "Wanderer" who has taken over her body. Wanderer helps the Seekers give up information on where Melanie's group of friends are hidden, but as Wanderer ends up finding the hidden place herself she learns these people are worth fighting to live for too. Only one Seeker (Kruger) won't give up looking and starts to show a little humanity as she grows desperate by firing a gun.

I think it might be a little generous to give "The Host" a "B" rating when the book, and movie adaptation, were both flat. One thing about Meyer's writing not just in the "Twilight" series but in "The Host" as well is that she has a way of making the worlds feel very realistic (despite vampires and aliens not being real). The group Wanderer sticks with are, for a majority of the film, in a cave. They only resort to violence against the Seekers when confronted and even that doesn't happen often. There is no real conflict, while Wanderer figures out a peaceful solution to their troubles and how to get Melanie back to her own body.

Looking at it from from a non-subjective perspective, it was a well-made movie. It leans more towards romance and is a little more mature (like "Breaking Dawn") than her usual audience is used to. I would recommend that anyone who enjoyed "Twilight" or young adult novels to watch and read "The Host". I have to admit that the movie is pretty faithful to the book which is refreshing since most adaptations are as faithful as keeping character names and setting but changing things around.

The Prestige

Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, Scarlett Johansson, Michael Caine

Directed by Christopher Nolan

Based on the novel by Christopher Priest

Rating: A

So I might be a little biased because Christopher Nolan is one of my favorite directors, (Memento earned 92 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, The Dark Knight earned 94 percent, Inception earned 86 percent, need I say more?) but "The Prestige" is an overlooked masterpiece that Nolan has crafted.

The movie is primarily about two magicians, each trying to outdo one another not just by their tricks but in life. Angier's (Jackman) wife, a magician's assistant, dies in an accident on stage at the hands of Angier's colleague, Borden (Bale). Ever since the incident, the two part ways to go on and create their own stage presence as magicians while at the same time trying to harm the other's reputation. The obsession to become the greatest magician takes hold over Angier and Borden and will not end until one is truly satisfied.

Nolan once again brings together an ensemble cast that works well- Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Michael Caine are the glue that holds this movie together. Caine's character, Cutter, is the one who worked with Angier and Borden, the one who engineered magic tricks for Angier and understood the kind of magic Borden was coming up with. Yet no matter how much he warned Angier to let go of his obsession to beat Borden, Angier wouldn't listen and the movie ends with the bittersweet recognition that "obsession is a young man's game".

The true masterpiece Nolan puts together in this film is how much these magicians are willing to pay just to be the greatest. Each man is flawed and the film may make audiences lean toward favoring Angier after the death of his wife, but Angier's hatred for Borden takes us back on our sympathies. Just like "Black Swan"'s ending with Natalie Portman whispering "I was perfect", Angier takes his obsession to a dangerous level. Borden's true secret is revealed at the very end, after Angier has been driven mad. It also drives the audience mad with the wonder of it, and still leaves us asking the question, how can it be so?

The best part of watching this movie is Nolan has a way to make the audience part of these magician's audience. We are also watching closely, waiting to catch the secret that makes the trick work, and also being captivated by the trick itself. And like most of Nolan's films, he waits until the very end to give us the question to think about for the next few minutes, hours, however long you really want to wonder. It's said in the beginning of the film. The answer is simple. Knowing the secret takes away the illusion, and Nolan makes us forget about reality in the hopes that maybe we will find real magic in this movie. In watching closely, we allow ourselves to forget. We allow ourselves to be fooled because we want to be.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, Ezra Miller

Directed by Stephen Chbosky

Based on the book by Stephen Chbosky

Faithfulness to the book: 8/10

Rating of movie: A

Charlie is about to start his freshman year of high school with no friends. All he has is an address and a name of someone who could have slept with that person at that party that one time but didn't. Charlie begins the school year writing to this "friend" about his life and the observations he makes.

"The Perks of Being a Wallflower" has slowly become a popular sensation in waves of time. As the movie premier date loomed closer in 2012, people started picking this book up to read before seeing the movie. Living on a college campus and seeing this movie at a "movies on the lawn" event, I got to hear the reactions of at least a hundred college student during the movie. There was laughter, there was gasps of shock, and at the end of the movie people picked up their blankets in the freezing night and claimed that they were either going to read the book now or for those who have read it, that the book had changed their life.

The right actors were cast to play the right roles and the author/director Stephen Chbosky got to portray the movie how he envisioned it. The important parts in the book were shown in the movie and the memorable quotes from "We accept the love we think we deserve" to "And in this moment we are infinite" were said.

Logan Lerman is a great "Charlie" and he is able to make the audience fall in love and sympathize with the character. Emma Watson stars in her second role in a movie post "Harry Potter" and while her acting as Charlie's first love "Sam" was flawed, her overall performance is forgivable. Ezra Miller took on the flamboyant role of "Patrick", Charlie's best friend and Sam's brother. Miller does everything right as Patrick should be: funny, sarcastic, sassy. Miller has the character from the book played perfect.

This movie is something that can resonate with almost anyone who has at least gone to high school. Maybe they were a "Charlie" in some ways or maybe "Sam". Charlie see's life in a unique way, he is a wallflower. He sits back and watches life pass him by and as his freshman year comes to a close, he learns to participate more.

The best part is at the end of the movie, you get to see Charlie grow.

Drive

Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Albert Brooks

Directed by Nicholas Winding Refn

Rating: B

Part-time Hollywood stuntman, part-time getaway driver, Ryan Gosling plays a mysterious character who's only referred to as "Driver". Though a man of few words, Gosling's character has an underlying sense of power to him.

Gosling's quiet character keeps to himself and manages to stay out of trouble until he meets the next door neighbor, Irene (Mulligan). Her car won't start and he drives her home from the garage he works at, but after a pit stop driving down to a small stream where her son can play. Irene's husband, Standard, gets released from jail and at first he is suspicious of the neighbor's intention.

Standard has some debts to pay that he can't afford and being the good guy he is, Gosling's character lends his getaway driving skills. When a robbery goes wrong, Gosling's character is left realizing he's been setup. He shows no mercy when it comes to protecting Irene and her son and goes the distance to make sure they stay out of any danger.

The first scene of "Drive" sets the pace of the movie; slow but with flashes of action. The film has an eerie sense of real life to it. It's not rushed like most action movies are today, so viewers feel time passing as slow as their own life. "Drive" is based on the novel by James Sallis, which I haven't read so I don't know if the book moves just as slow. The plot, meanwhile, was intriguing and what is worth watching for. Ryan Gosling's character is flat and viewers don't get to know much about him. He barely speaks and doesn't show much emotion, but his motivations are clear. He will protect the ones he grows attached to.

The trailer gives the whole movie away and is misleading. It leads viewers to believe it's fast paced and has lots of action when it's just the opposite. It doesn't mean that it's a bad film because it's worth watching once. It might be more of an acquired taste to fully enjoy it, like Refn's previous films; the style is somewhat similar to "Bronson", slow electro-music completes the soundtrack and a character that may be hard to like. Have caffeine at hand before sitting down to watch "Drive" and it may not be so hard to sit through.

Easy Virtue

Ben Barnes, Jessica Biel, Colin Firth, Kristin Scott Thomas

Directed by Stephen Elliott

Rating: B

When a newly married couple go to stay at the husband's family country estate in England, the impending feud between daughter-in-law and mother-in-law is obvious from the start.

As Mrs. Whittaker (Thomas) learns that her son, John (Barnes), has abruptly married an American during his travels, she immediately finds reason to dislike her. John was promised to a neighbor's daughter that would connect the two families into one large estate. John is young and foolishly in love, but he is blind to his wife's discontent living in the country. Larita (Biel) is a city girl with a need for a faster paced life racing cars. Larita's only other ally is the estranged father of John, Mr. Whittaker (Firth).

Mrs. Whittaker and Larita go head-to-head, trying to show each other who is the alpha in this country home. John's two younger sister's don't help Larita's cause when she accidentally causes embarrassment and harm to the two. John's youngest sister contacts a relative in New York and digs up Larita's dirty past for all to hear.

"Easy Virtue" is a surprisingly enjoyable film. The mother-in-law hates daughter-in-law was predictable but the characters helped move the story along at an easy-going pace. While Mrs. Whittaker had wished for her son to marry the neighbor's daughter, she doesn't force them uncomfortably together as other predictable movies do. John and the neighbor's daughter get along fine enough but there is no blossoming romance to steal the spotlight. Being the new person in the house brings attention to Larita. She wishes that everyone will accept her since she grew up in a different lifestyle. Her fair treatment of the household staff holds her in favor over the residents themselves, who have their rules they stick to.

As a period piece, "Easy Virtue" should not scare away viewers. It's not a depressing drama nor will it bore you with subtle history lessons. There's humor and not an overly-sickening romance like "Pride & Prejudice" to scare the male viewers away. It's also one of the better roles Jessica Biel has portrayed. So if you're looking for a movie that won't puzzle your mind with a confusing story line and are looking for something different to watch, "Easy Virtue" may be the movie you should try.

Magic Mike

Channing Tatum, Alex Pettyfer, Matthew McConaughey, Cody Horn

Directed by Steven Soderbergh

Rating: B

Despite coming out as a movie all about male strippers, "Magic Mike" has more plot to it than audiences would think. Judging from the trailer, the movie appears to be all about Mike (Tatum) and his dream of breaking out of the stripping business to having his own custom made furniture store. Instead, you get less strip scenes but enough of almost-nude moments to not be a disappointment.

The movie focuses on three central characters. Dallas (McConaughey) owns a small strip joint in Tampa, Florida where he partakes in a few of his own strip nights. Dallas dreamed of taking the business to Miami where the money would come in larger quantities and he would split the profits with Mike who's been his partner for years. When Mike brings in Adam (Pettyfer), a 19-year-old needing money, and he joins the pack and helps Dallas pull in more money, Mike's partnership gets downgraded.

Adam doesn't know what to do with his life but after bumping into Mike, he gets sucked into the world of stripping and selling drugs on the side. What brings this movie into perspective is Adam's protective older sister, Brooke (Horn), who disapproves of the party lifestyle and only wants the best for Adam. She finally gives him the boot from her apartment when she can't stand seeing how his life has gone downhill.

What "Magic Mike" manages to do is get audiences to care about the characters, which is why by the end of the movie it's no surprise that there could potentially be a "Magic Mike 2". The movie manages to pack in good amounts of comedy and drama, similar to the fashion of "Bridesmaids" and "Horrible Bosses". Before I first saw this movie, my expectations were it would be a disappointment. Instead, it proved to be worth the watch and was a personal reminder not to judge movies on their premise.

Twelve Monkeys

Bruce Willis, Madeleine Stowe, Brad Pitt

Directed by Terry Gilliam

Rating: B

Time traveling, an army of 12 Monkeys, and a virus set to kill five billion people makes for a promising movie. Oh yeah, and Bruce Willis plays the lead character in this mind-twisting sci-fi thriller.

Time traveling movies may be predictable but in this one, director Terry Gilliam has viewers guessing all the way up to the last twenty minutes. It may become a bit confusing when James Cole (Willis) is sent back and forth in time to feed information to future scientists about a rebel group called the 12 Monkeys. At first Cole is sent six years earlier than his set date of 1996 and finds himself in a mental institution for beating up police officers in a post-time jump haze. Add some mumbling and an insane Brad Pitt come the next scene, viewers may be questioning why they are still watching it.

It's not until a few time jumps later and a psychiatrist once held hostage by Cole that he starts to get help trying to prevent the destruction of mankind. It's up to the two to find the 12  Monkey's and grab a sample of the virus to prevent the oncoming apocalypse.

Similar to this movie is 2012's "Looper" where events come full circle, which seems to be the pattern in time traveling movies. In both movies, Bruce Willis comes back in time to change future events and what drives him to try doing so is to get his life back. In "Twelve Monkeys" Cole is a prisoner volunteering to reduce his sentence by going on a mission to find the 12 Monkeys. It shows a serious acting skill to see Willis in a role as a man who is sane but appears to be insane. Brad Pitt is equally frightening as a mentally unstable person in this movie, who gets worked up as he goes into a spiel about life.

While it may seem slow in the beginning and a little confusing, "Twelve Monkeys" is worth sticking out to the end. Chances are if you liked "Looper", "One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest", or "Children of Men", then "Twelve Monkeys" is the sci-fi thriller for you.

Anton Chekhov's The Duel

Andrew Scott, Fiona Glascott, Tobias Menzies

Directed by Dover Koshashvili

Rating: C

Two young people have fallen out of love. After living together for two years the excitement and novelty has worn off. When Laevsky (Scott) receives a letter saying that his mistress', Nadia (Glascott), husband has died, he feels she will expect them to marry at once. So, he hides the letter until he can leave her. Nadia has been a busy lady in their new town, flirting with men and playing games. Von Koren (Menzies) can't stand to be in Laevsky's company, detesting the man for his laziness and gambling. It finally comes down to having a duel between the two, but neither want to participate.

"The Duel" was fairly good. For a majority of the movie there is no action and the plot is weak. It revolves around the relationship between Laevsky and Nadia. He obviously doesn't like to be around her but in certain moments tries to overpower her. He spends his time planning an escape, where he can be free and leave Nadia alone and penniless. Von Koren seems to be the only person to have a problem with Laevsky, despite his abrupt mood-changing ways.

"The Duel" probably reads as a good book but the adaptation doesn't do it justice. I haven't read the book myself so I don't know how true to the book the movie is. While the movie lacks in action, at least it's not boring to look at. The characters have a chance to develop and you're not sure whether to like or hate Laevsky or Nadia.

A plus side is that this movie isn't long; about 90 minutes. So if you're looking for something random to watch and don't necessarily care if there's lots of action going on, I would recommend this movie. It's on instant watch on Netflix. Also, Andrew Scott does a great job at playing an insecure, moody character. He's a pretty good actor, and if you like him then you'll enjoy watching him in "The Duel".

Dead Bodies

Andrew Scott, Kelly Reilly, Darren Healy. Katy Davis

Directed by Robert Quinn

Rating: D-

Tommy (Scott) is going nowhere in life. He lives in an abandoned house, can't hold a job down, and just as things couldn't get worse, his ex-girlfriend moves in. Jean (Davis) wants to give the relationship another try but  Scott doesn't. When Scott's annoyance with Jean escalates they argue and Jean falls back, hitting her head on the coffee table. Scott doesn't know what to do so he buries her but when the police are informed about a dead body in the park, they start digging. Not only do they find Jean's body but another one, long decayed since. Tommy is under suspicion but he claims he's innocent.

"Dead Bodies" does not give a very promising start. It tries to hard in the beginning to be a suspenseful thriller but in reality the first forty-five minutes are boring. It's very tempting to stop watching then and there but the end makes up for it. It doesn't mean it's a great movie all of a sudden but at least it gives you some suspense. The plot is very weak and Tommy's boring life bores the viewer.

The movie takes a new direction when Tommy becomes the suspect for the second found buried body. A woman missing eight years ago turns up in the same grave as Jean's and the original suspect, her husband, turns on Tommy. Tommy and his friend Noel decide to take care of this problem which results in a suspenseful and unexpected ending.

The only reason I spent eighty-five minutes watching this movie was for Andrew Scott, who plays the criminal mastermind "Moriarty" in BBC America's "Sherlock". Scott plays a lethargic role and it's a little hard to feel sympathetic for his character. He keeps digging himself in a hole and by the end of the movie there is no way out. "Dead Bodies" is definitely worth watching once, if you really like Andrew Scott as I do, but only once. I doubt I will be watching this again because there are better movies out there.

The Grey

Liam Neeson

Directed by Joe Carnahan

Rating: B-

Ottway (Neeson) is a wolf hunter up in Alaska. On his way home, his plane goes down and only eight survive the crash. Ottway in the others make camp in the freezing cold of Alaska, trying to keep it together. Surviving the crash is one thing, but surviving the wolves that keep hunting them down is a complicated task when they have nothing to do protect themselves with.

"The Grey" is a simple movie to describe. At the heart of it, it's a survival movie and pretty predictable. Liam Neeson is the leader of the group (why wouldn't he be when he is a wolf hunter and knows how they prey?). Liam's character and the group decide staying by the plane might be a poor decision since the wolves keep coming back so they trek to the woods in hopes of finding shelter.

This film is a pretty intense movie and by the end of it, you don't know how to feel about it. The ending is what you gets you. "The Grey" could have easily moved from a "B-" to a "B" or "B+" if the director had expanded the last scene instead of cutting it short. Or perhaps made an alternate ending. While it's been a while since a fight for survival has been in theaters (unlike "Haywire" but more fighting against nature) it's a nice change from the action movies.

"The Grey" was more of a movie you would watch at home and definitely better to rent than buy (unless you're a sucker for Liam Neeson films and survival genres). Personally, I thought it was a good movie. Maybe not the best one made but it was different and Liam Neeson wasn't too disappointing.

Immortals

Henry Cavill, Mickey Rourke, Freida Pinto, Luke Evans

Directed by Tarsem Singh

Rating: C+

King Hyperion (Rourke) is raising hell throughout Greece, on a mission to seek the legendary Epirus bow. If placed in the wrong hands, the Epirus bow is one of the most powerful tools to win a battle. Theseus (Cavill) is just a poor young man and when he loses his mother at the hand of King Hyperion, he is determined to get back. With the help of the Oracle (Pinto), Theseus steps up to fulfill his role that Zeus (Evans) hoped he would to fight Hyperion's army.

"300", "Clash of the Titans" and "Immortals". While the latter two have more in common, those three are all similar in nature. They all have a big fight against an enemy with a bigger advantage: whether it's a bigger army or a fight against the titans. "Immortals" was a decent movie but was an average fit in the old Greek myth category.

"Immortals" did capture viewers attention at least and was not boring. However the main thing that saved this movie from being called a bad movie was the choice of actors. For women at least, Henry Cavill was the best part of this movie. Cavill is the reason why I would even call "Immortals" better than "Clash of the Titans". Even the Greek gods Zeus, and some of his sons, weren't all that bad looking.

The plot could have been more interesting. Zeus was a pretty angry character, who refused to help the mortals and it was a fatal mistake if any of his children went to their aid. After watching "Immortals" I couldn't look at Joseph Morgan the same way again when watching the CW show "The Vampire Diaries". Morgan's character, Lysander, was weak and a traitor. Not very flattering when he plays bad boy Klaus on the CW show.

I would definitely recommend renting this movie to watch with the girls, if they don't mind some gory scenes. The male leads are definitely worth watching this for. As for guys, I think they should give it a shot but watch with no expectations of it being amazing.

Midnight In Paris

Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Marion Cottilard, Michael Sheen, Tom Hiddleston

Directed by Woody Allen

Rating: A-

Gil (Wilson) just wants to enjoy Paris without having his soon-to-be-wife Inez (McAdams) flirting with her old professor, Paul (Sheen), the whole time. While Inez spends her days and evenings with Paul and his girlfriend, Carol, Gil takes to roaming the Parisian streets at midnight. Little did he realize it would take him back to the time he wished he could have been a part of -the 20s- where he meets F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemmingway, and a young French woman whom he falls for.

"Midnight In Paris" is an enchanting movie that captures Paris in a beautiful way. Watching this movie, you can't help but fall in love with the city as Gil does. Woody Allen did an amazing job with this film. Gil is a character most people can relate to, or at least those that wish they had lived in a different time period. When Gil discovers he can go back to the French 1920s at midnight, at first you question whether he's just dreaming or maybe it won't happen one night. Each night he is transported into the time where he meets up with F. Scott Fitzgerald and Adriana, who tends to date the artists like Picasso and Hemmingway.

I was really pleased with how "Midnight In Paris" turned out. While it had its slow moments, it's definitely a movie I'd like to buy someday. This movie may not fit everyone's tastes but I would definitely recommend it if you are in love with life other than your own culture and exploring the past. If you're looking for a fast-paced action movie, this is not the movie for you. If you're looking for romance, wonder, and losing yourself in the moment of the film, this is the movie for you.

The Woman In Black

Daniel Radcliffe, Roger Allam

Directed by James Watkins

Rating: B-

Arthur Kipps (Radcliffe) is a single father trying to keep providing for his young son. Arthur is a lawyer and has to travel to a secluded village to finish up surveying an empty house after the tenants had died. His son is due to arrive in the village a few days later, accompanied by the nanny. The villagers are upset with Arthur disturbing the peace, as they believe that the house Arthur is to inspect is haunted. Whoever sees the "woman in black" brings danger to the villagers, as she causes the children of the area to die. After staying in the home to finish up work, Arthur begins to notice the woman in black and tries to find a way to help her move on before she decides to take his own son.

A fun scare, "The Woman In Black" is not a very serious horror movie. While it does give in to suspense and scenes that make you jump in your seat from fear, the movie itself is not that scary. The plot is kind of simple: villagers hate Arthur, Arthur sees the woman in black, Arthur tries to figure out why she is haunting the place. "The Woman In Black" does a good job with setting up the scenes but it lacks the necessary scare factor to make it really feel like it deserves to be called a horror film. For example, more scare scenes would have made this movie better like seeing the dead children or the woman in black more. Having toys wind up on their own and the rocking chair make noise is a good start for a creepy scene.

Radcliffe is the main star of the film. He definitely knows how to break out of the mold and shake off being forever labeled as "the guy that played Harry Potter". His portrayal of the widowed father showed how versatile he can be. I think I would go so far as to say that Radcliffe is one of the main reasons I liked the film. He's probably also the main reason many people went to go see it. "The Woman In Black" didn't earn much in the box office, so hopefully Radcliffe will move on to other projects. As it is, he is currently filming another period-piece due to premier in 2013. Let's just cross our fingers that period-pieces will not be all he will work on. (Though personally I love period-pieces, I'd like to see him try a comedy or drama, let him break out of the "Harry Potter" mold.)

I believe "The Woman In Black" is worth seeing if you're brave enough. I think it would be a fun movie to get friends together and watch in a dark room at night. This movie is not one to take seriously so if you enjoy suspenseful movies, add this to your movie list!

Haywire

Gina Carano, Ewan McGregor, Antonio Banderas, Channing Tatum, Michael Fassbender

Directed by Steven Soderbergh

Rating: B+

Mallory (Carano) is not your average black ops agent. After completing a successful mission in Barcelona to retrieve a kidnapped journalist, Mallory is sent to Dublin where she is supposed to go undercover with an MI6 agent, Paul (Fassbender). However, Paul has different orders and tries to kill Mallory after the job. Mallory has to fight for her survival while any police force is on the lookout for her and find the people responsible for her planned execution.

Haywire is an action thriller that Hollywood has taken a new spin on. This film is not the average action movie where people can fight and escape with minimal cuts and bruises. When Mallory gets hit, she gets hit hard and it shows. When she falls down after climbing down a building, she doesn't get up and run like it didn't affect her. She stumbles and the audience can obviously see that it was not easy to get up and keep moving.

Haywire's plot isn't over-dramatized. There isn't enough time in the film for character build up so it's hard to get the audience to sympathize for Kenneth, Mallory's ex, or Paul, who is just trying to do his job. The film follows Mallory as she tells her story by starting with her getting closer to the people trying to kill her. She explains to an innocent bystander who ended up being carjacked and taken hostage by her how she ended up running from the police as she hunts for her former boss. The suspense keeps building up as Mallory gets closer to her enemy.

Carano is someone audiences should look out for in the future. Haywire is one of the first few films she's appeared in, though it isn't her first action fighting film. In 2009 she was played a part in Blood and Bone, an underground fighting club type of movie. Next year she'll be appearing in the sequel to Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

While Fassbender may have a brief role in Haywire, as an actor he is busy enough. After appearing in four films in 2011, Fassbender has a few projects up his sleeve for the coming year. He's proven to be a versatile actor, from portraying a classic Mr. Rochester in a remake of Jane Eyre, to being "mutant and proud" in X-Men: First Class, and playing a troubled man with an addiction in the film Shame. Fassbender is an actor worth remembering to watch out for.

Back to Haywire, if you're looking for a good action/crime thriller to see, this is worth checking out. Don't be fooled by the "R" rating because there is not enough in this film to be truly "R". Yes of course there is action, but is there an absurd overuse of cursing? No. There is no sex scenes, only a brief kissing scene. Other than that, this movie should really be rated "PG-13". It's short and to the point, so it can't be a complete waste of time.

Sleeping Beauty

Emily Browning, Rachel Blake

Directed by Julia Leigh

Rating: C

Lucy (Browning) is just trying to pay her bills and go to school so she takes whatever job is offered. From cleaning up tables, to being a lab rat, Lucy finds an ad in the paper for lingerie waitresses. Clara (Blake) is the employer who tells Lucy there is always room for promotion, which the next step would be becoming a Sleeping Beauty. Clara sees that Lucy is ready for promotion and invites Lucy to her house for her next job. All Lucy has to do is drink a brew that will put Lucy to sleep for a few hours. What Lucy doesn't know is what goes on while she is asleep. It isn't until she becomes overwhelmed with her life that she wonders what is happening to her while she is sleeping.

My first reaction after watching Sleeping Beauty was that it was one of the most interesting movies I have seen. The film is a bit slow and it feels as if there are many holes missing because we don't know who Birdman is in relationship with Lucy or how they met. Neither do we know why does her roommate's boyfriend have such a problem with her? The movie focuses on Lucy's jobs. We get a glimpse that she is desperate to make ends meet by participating in an experiment and cleaning up tables.

Playing Lucy could not be an easy role. Emily Browning's portrayal of a young college student struggling to make ends meet is heartbreaking. She gives up her body to be able to pay the bills by letting old men gawk at her in lingerie, and then later having a few hours alone with her while she's unconscious. Browning does an excellent job making Lucy come to life. We see how she holds it all in but after so much that has gone wrong, she lets it out with bursts of screaming at the end. It gives the audience a glimpse that everything is not all right with Lucy.

Sleeping Beauty may be a difficult film to get through for those who are not interested in the genre. I would definitely recommend it for those who like independent films like Beginners or Hunger. If you are in a courageous mood for something different, then I would think that Sleeping Beauty is worth checking out.

The Girl Who Played With Fire

Michael Nyqvist, Noomi Rapace, Lena Endre

Directed by Daniel Alfredson

Rating: B

The Girl Who Played With Fire is the sequel to The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, however, this is the sequel to the Swedish version. Lisbeth Salander (Rapace) is wanted for a triple murder, something she has nothing to do with but everything to do as well. Her prints are on the murder weapon and the police are hunting her down. Blomkvist (Nyqvist) is one of the only people to think she is innocent and he does everything in his power to find proof supporting that as well as finding out who the real murderer is.

Over my winter break, I decided to get into the Millenium trilogy so I could watch the American version of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo before it hit theaters. (See my review for it here.) Since the American version for the sequel has yet to be made, it was great that I could still see the sequel, even if it is in Swedish.

Daniel Alfredson did a good job with placing what is important in this sequel. The book has a lot of information going on so it is hard to choose what to show. The Girl Who Played With Fire has a fast pace to it and does not drag on forever so viewers don't feel like turning it off. The book mainly shows the police side of the investigations which was omitted in this film. It might have been interesting to see their point of view instead of just Blomkvist's. Both the police and Blomkvist are doing their own investigations so it would have been interesting to compare how far they both go.

Rapace did a great job as Salander. It does not seem like an easy role to play. Rapace portrays a believable character that makes the audience wonder how she does it. Salander does not have a big role in this sequel, as she is mainly concerned with hiding out.

I would recommend reading the book rather than seeing this version though because the book gives more information and can help visualize what is going on. The Girl Who Played With Fire was definitely an interesting watch. If you don't mind reading subtitles, then give this movie a chance.

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara, Christopher Plummer, Stellan Skarsgard

Directed by David Fincher

Rating: B

When the Millennium trilogy hit bookstores, the author Stieg Larsson became a hit, only he was not alive to see it. Larsson died of a heart attack in 2004, leaving an unfinished fourth novel incomplete. However, the trilogy has done profitably, according to his website. The series has sold over twenty million copies and Larsson was the second bestselling author in 2008.

In 2009, director Niels Arden Oplev first came out with The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo in Sweden. Now two years later, American director David Fincher has successfully produced an “American” version with better known actors to play main characters Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo takes place in Sweden, where Mikael Blomkvist has been deemed “guilty” for libel against Hans-Erik Wennerstrom. The best thing for Blomkvist to do would be to go under the radar. Henrik Vanger has an interesting task for Blomkvist: to find out what exactly happened to his granddaughter Harriet and which one of his family members killed her. Seen as a waste of time in Blomkvist’s eyes as the mystery occurred forty years ago, Blomkvist takes the job as Vanger promises to give him what he wants: a secret to take Wennerstrom down.

Anyone who has read the book could only imagine how difficult a task it would be to get into character with Lisbeth Salander. White-as-a-sheet, piercings everywhere, no respect for anyone, Lisbeth is her own boss. Rooney Mara, who takes on this role, does an excellent and convincing job. Mara immerses herself in the role; actually getting the piercings Lisbeth has in eyebrows and private parts. She loses a little bit of weight to look like the skeletal Listbeth and cuts off most of her locks. Mara’s acting deserves to win an Oscar.

Daniel Craig steals most of the movie as the leading male character, Mikael Blomkvist. While Craig plays a reasonable role, the one factor that could not fully convince me of his character is his accent. While yes, viewers in English-speaking countries are watching it in the natural language, Blomkvist is supposed to be Swedish. Craig speaks with his natural English accent, not Swedish. Most of the characters convince you of their role because they make an effort to have some sort of Swedish accent.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo does have some very explicit scenes which could make some viewers uncomfortable. While the movie is quite lengthy, almost three hours, the pace is fast enough to keep viewers from checking for the time. The plot really pulls the audience in so that viewers are not yawning too many times. Like many films based off of novels, this particular film strays from the path a bit. Overall, David Fincher did include scenes not shown in the Swedish version which makes this up-to-date film more appealing.

Overall, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is rated “R” for a reason but that should not keep adults from watching it. It is an exciting, fast paced thriller worth the watch.