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Reviews
Mean Girls (2004)
A delicious black comedy for the Younger Crowd
Meet Cady(pronounced like Cathy), played by the gorgeous Lindsay Lohan, a girl who has lived in Africa and has been home schooled her entire life. But now it's time to say goodbye to all that and say hello to high school. Cady is about to experience how rude and manipulating girls can be and that you can't really trust anybody but yourself. She befriends the most popular group in school that are known as "The Plastics"(all pretty attractive girls), lead by Regina(Rachel McAdams) the meanest one of them all. Soon, Cady find out Regina's evil and sneaky ways, but she isn't about to let Regina walk all over her. She changes the rules, turning everybody against Regina and knocking her off of her mighty throne, not realizing she has become a mean girl herself.
Mean Girls might just be not what you expect at all, it is just plain hilarious, crude and a real treat for anyone willing to give it a chance. If you loved movies such as Jawbreaker, then you will definitely enjoy this one. The cast is wonderful and addictive, the new "teen queen" Lindsay Lohan is absolutely charming, while newcomers Rachel McAdams, Amanda Seyfried and Jonathan Bennett are also great themselves. Finally a highly enjoyable teen comedy that doesn't revolve around a fake bubblegum story and unrealistic circumstances.
I would give Mean Girls 8/10
Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004)
Uma kicks Ass once again with more Feeling(Contains Spoilers)
In this much anticipated sequel to the fantastic "Kill Bill Vol.1",
Vol.2 takes us right where it left us before. Uma is not yet finished, but her revenge is close, so near she can almost smell victory. In this volume, the story takes us much more into depth with the characters, leaving us with many long, silent and emotional moments. Don't be mistaken and call these moments boring, nothing in Kill Bill is boring, every second of it is more interesting and fascinating then the previous one. But this is not all there is to Vol.2, the whole movie is just filled with so much witty humor that you can't help but chuckle to yourself. The most wonderful scenes for me were: 1.Uma being buried alive(but of course finding her way out eventually) 2.The anticipated cat-fight(if you want to call it that) between Uma and Elle Driver, and last but not least, the first acquaintance Uma makes with her daughter, that scene brought tears to my eyes. The only disappointing part for me was Bill's simple and quick death, but that is just because I was expecting more.
True Kill Bill fans will not be disappointed, for Tarantino is a genius and Uma Thurman is a Goddess in so many ways, I would give Kill Bill: Vol.2 9/10
The Girl Next Door (2004)
How do you want Me?
This movie revolves around a young man named Matthew Kidman(Emilie Hirsch) who is about to graduate but has absolutely nothing to write in his yearbook and nothing interesting to remember his school year by. Until, Danielle(Elisha Cuthbert), moves in next door and in Matthew's eyes and I'm sure to most of us in the audience, she is an angel sent from above. Danielle and Matthew become friends and start to develop into something more until Matthew finds out that Danielle is actually a porn star and that's when trouble starts brewing, misleading Matthew and his friends into many dangerous adventures.
I enjoyed half of this movie and for the other half, I couldn't wait for it to finally finish. It's a nice little, interesting and sexy story but there are just too many messy and useless moments that at the end, you forget what the movie was really all about and wonder what was ever really the point, since the movie seems to drag on forever with no real meaning. The cast tries hard to make it work but the dialogue doesn't seem to agree with them. It's a very forgettable movie but still entertaining overall with some funny situations and a great soundtrack. I would give The Girl Next Door 5/10
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
Joel+Clementine
Joel(Jim Carrey) is a confused and lonely man who falls in love with every single woman that looks at him. But things change when Joel meets Clementine(Kate Winslet), her witty charm and colorful personality brings out the best in Joel. The two of them spend some wonderful moments together but all good things must eventually come to an end. After a big fight, Joel finds out that now Clementine has no idea who he is because she has had all her memories erased of him. Joel decides that he wants to get his memories erased of her also but during the procedure, he realizes what a wonderful and magnificent love he had with Clementine and that he would like to keep those moments forever not only in his mind, but in his heart as well.
This movie was like sucking on a jawbreaker, sweet, hard and once you get used to the flavor, you never want to let go. Everything about it was just perfect, it's charming, sad, funny and most importantly, real and very special. The cast was wonderful, the beautiful Kate Winslet especially blew me away. Elijah Wood, Mark Ruffalo and Kirsten Dunst were also great and very entertaining in their roles. This movie is truly great and those of us who love a little strangeness in our lives, will adore it. I would give Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind 9/10.
Dawn of the Dead (2004)
And the Dead still Keep on Running
Most of us love our Zombie movies and we've all had our share of them over the last few decades. This newest one, features a couple of survivors that find themselves hiding in the local city mall from flesh-eating zombies who are not about to go anywhere anytime soon. Dawn of the Dead is exciting, creepy and most of all, entertaining. Like every horror movie, it has it's share of humor and laughter and that's what keeps the movie going. The cast features a couple of not so well known actors and the performances are decent by many and well, not so decent by a few. The movie has a few flaws but just enjoy it for what it is, plain bloody fun. Plus the Score is awesome. I would give Dawn of the Dead 7/10
The Passion of the Christ (2004)
The Passion broke my Heart
I have been hearing so much about The Passion of Christ and have been wanting to see it for so long, and finally last week I did. Let me just say that no other movie has left me more speechless, taken my breath away and left such a pain in my heart then this one. This movie was absolutely beautiful, brutal, mesmerizing and the experience I had while watching it will never be forgotten. I am not a religious person but I have never cried so much during a movie, it was like watching a beloved friend die. James Caviezel was ravishing in his role as Jesus Christ and the whole cast was purely breathtaking. The Soundtrack was also haunting and fantastic. Thank you Mel Gibson, for making such a masterpiece, you have shown and given me so much. Words can't describe how much this movie has affected me. I would give The Passion of the Christ 10/10.
Ginger Snaps: Unleashed (2004)
Brigitte snaps but does she snap hard Enough?
In the sequel to the cult horror hit "Ginger Snaps", Brigitte(Emily Perkins) finds herself transforming into the same monster that killed her sister. She has been injecting herself with too much monkshood, she o.d's, is mistaken for a junkie and wins herself a trip to the "Happier Times" rehab center. There Brigitte meets a young girl named Ghost(Tatiana Maslany)who is a very strange and curious kid and might help Brigitte with the cure. The two of them become very close, almost like sisters even, but now Brigitte has a bigger problem, another werewolf has been stalking her and now he wants to mate. I am probably the biggest fan of Ginger Snaps and I was highly anticipating the sequel. As soon as I saw the opening credits, I knew that I was in for a treat. Emily Perkins was simply amazing, the gore was beautiful and the dark humor and atmosphere were similar to the first one. The makeup was better where as the first Ginger Snaps was more emotional. Of course it wasn't as good as the first one but what sequel ever really is? Like I said, the acting and makeup was awesome and the soundtrack was great too. I also really enjoyed the short but sweet appearances by my beloved Katharine Isabelle as Ginger. The ending was very disappointing though, it kind of ruined the whole movie for me. But if I forget the last 10 minutes, this movie was excellent and almost gave me as much pleasure as the first one. I would give Ginger Snaps II:Unleashed 8/10.
The Butterfly Effect (2004)
Absolutely Ridiculous
Meet Evan(Ashton Kutcher) a young disturbed man suffering from blackouts and memory loss from his troubled past. The only thing that can help him is his journal, which can make him travel back in time and save the love of his life Kayleigh(Amy Smart) from becoming an unhappy suicidal crack whore. But of course, whenever Evan travels back in time, he manages to screw up the future even more so this Butterfly Effect has really not much effect at all. Now, maybe this movie wouldn't have been half as bad if the cast was different because the acting was just terrible. Starting from Logan Lerman who portrays the younger version of Evan and gives a painfully bad performance back to Ashton Kutcher who mumbles throughout the whole movie and his serious facial expressions were priceless. The only person who gave a great performance was Amy Smart. This movie had the whole audience roaring with laughter and half of them walking out. Note to Ashton: Stick to Comedy and don't mess with the future. I would give The Butterfly Effect 4/10.
Peter Pan (2003)
A Story that never Grows Old
Wendy Darling(Rachel Hurd-Wood) is a young girl who loves telling stories and fairytales to her two younger brothers. She doesn't really understand her parents, especially her strict father, Wendy would rather stay a child forever then grow up to be an adult. But when Peter Pan(Jeremy Sumpter), the boy who never grows up, shows up at Wendy's window one night to take her and her brothers to Never Never land with him, Wendy is about to experience an adventure and fairytale of her own. To meeting the lost boys and encountering the dangerous yet beautiful mermaids and to meeting Peter's biggest fiend: Captain Hook(Jason Isaacs), who wants to take revenge on Peter Pan and make sure that he'll never return to Never Never land again. I thought this was a wonderful adaption of the original Peter Pan and a charming and magical movie. The two main characters are very beautiful and talented children and the chemistry between them was very tense and somewhat sexual, if I may say. The story was somewhat flawed and forgettable, filled with too many cheesy moments and lines but it was a family movie so I guess it was alright. It was still very enjoyable, I would give Peter Pan 7/10.
Big Fish (2003)
Not Burton's best Work but still a Wonderful Movie
The movie starts of with Edward Bloom(Albert Finney), telling one of his famous yet annoying stories to his son Will(Billy Crudap), who is now a grown married man and about to have a family of his own. Will can't stand his father's stories, I mean, they are just fairytales, none of the stories that his dad has been telling him his whole life really happened, right? Will and his father stop communicating for a few years but when Edward starts growing older and weaker and closer to his dying day, Will and his pregnant wife Josephine(Marion Cotillard) come to visit and the story of Edward Bloom is told. The story is mostly narrated by Will without knowing if his father's stories are true or if they are all just a big lie and part of the story is narrated by Edward himself. The tale starts of with a young Edward Bloom(Ewan McGregor) and his many adventures starting from when he was a little boy and meeting the old witch(Helena Bonham Carter) that lives by the swamp with the glass eye, to meeting Karl the Giant(Matthew McGrory) and leaving town with him, to joining the circus and finally finding the love of his life, his wife Sandra(Alison Lohman). While Edward's life might often sound unbelievable, Will believes there might be some truth to it and he is bound to really find out the story of his father's life and love him for what he was and always will be: A big adventurous fish with an imagination bigger then life itself. I am a big fan of Tim Burton and while this may not be his best work, it's certainly a wonderful movie. All the characters are beautiful and unique in their own way and the movie itself is just simply magical and filled with beautiful moments. I would give Big Fish 8/10.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
A Mindblowing, Breathtaking Masterpiece
In the final stunning achievement of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, the movie finds Frodo and Sam, along with Gollum who has a new sneaky plan of his own, still making the long and dangerous way to Mordor to get rid of the Ring once and for all and save Middle Earth. Meanwhile, the rest of the fellowship, such as Gandalf, Aragorn and Legolas are battling many evil forces and villains in order to save Gondor from becoming a disaster. I thought this movie was just simply amazing. I am a big fan of the first two Lord of the Rings movies but this one just tops it all. Everything about it was just breathtaking. To the amazing battle scenes, the beautiful soundtrack and to the wonderful battle for friendship that will make you weep throughout the whole movie. The best movie of the year so far, it will leave you breathless from the beginning of the journey till the end and the story will stay in your minds forever and in your hearts even longer. I would give The Return of the King 10/10.
The Missing (2003)
A Great Western
It's the year 1885 in New Mexico and the story revolves around Maggie Gilkeson(Cate Blanchett) and her two daughters, Lily and Dot. But when unexpectedly one afternoon, Lily(Evan Rachel Wood) is kidnapped by a Indian Madman, along with young and though Dot(Jenna Boyd) who is determined to find her older sister, Maggie is forced to encounter her estranged father Samuel Jones(Tommy Lee Jones) in order to get her daughter back. I thought this was a great movie and a wonderful Western. This movie had a great cast so it's no wonder that the acting by everyone was anything but perfect. I really enjoyed this movie and it kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. I would give The Missing 8/10.
Love Actually (2003)
Is Love Actually all around Us?
I heard a lot of good things about this movie and since I'm a sucker for holiday films I decided to check it out for myself. The story revolves around several love stories and the movie goes back and forth to show what's going on with each character. There is the Prime Minister(Hugh Grant) who slowly starts falling in love with his pretty maid Natalie(Martine McCutcheon). A married father and husband(Alan Rickman) who has a thing for his younger secretary Mia(Heike Hakatsch). A young man Mark(Andrew Lincoln) who has always liked his best friend's wife Juliet(Keira Knightley) but has always been afraid to tell her how he really feels about her. A young boy Sam(Thomas Sangster) tries to win the heart of his classmate Joanna(Olivia Olson) with the help of his father(Liam Neeson). A young rather unattractive man(Kris Marshall) is sick of snobby British gals and decides to go to America to find the right girl for him. A lonely woman named Sarah(Laura Linney) who has always had a thing for her sexy coworker Karl(Rodrigo Santoro). An old drugged out rocker(Bill Nigghy) who realizes that his fat manager is the only real friend he has ever had. A man(Colin Firth) working on a novel in his cabin in the middle of nowhere falls in love with his foreign caretaker Aurelia(Lúcia Moniz). And last but not least, a couple who fall in love while shooting a porno. At first I thought of this movie to be overrated and I didn't see what all the fuss was about but I have learned to appreciate it. It is rather long and sometimes it feels like everything is just thrown and mushed together with no directions and it makes you wonder if it will ever come to an end. However, it is touching in it's own way and it's interesting to see how each love story turns out. I did not leave the theater with my heart humming happily like the critics promised but it was still a enjoyable and entertaining movie. I would give Love Actually 7/10.
Gothika (2003)
Gives the word "Gothika" no Meaning
Miranda Grey(Halle Berry) is a psychiatrist who is known to have a great mind and a way to get through her patients, finds herself waking up on the wrong side. Now Miranda is locked up and accused of killing her husband which she has no memory of doing. Strange things start occurring to Miranda in the institution, a ghost of a young woman who she has faint memories of, starts haunting her and she keeps having flashbacks of what really happened. Miranda can't put the pieces together and she realizes something that her patients have always been trying to tell her before: You can't trust somebody when they think your crazy. I was really looking forward to this movie, it had a thrilling storyline, great trailer and talented actors. So it's bound to be a good horror flick, right? I couldn't have been more wrong. It had a promising beginning but soon I noticed that it was just going to be a rip-off of all the other bad horror movies that came out earlier this year. It was really predictable and also the pathetic attempts to scare the audience were just plain hilarious. Nothing about this movie was original and when I found out the big "conclusion" to this whole rubbish, I couldn't help but burst into laughter. Not to mention that embarrassing ending and that pointless song that had nothing to do with the movie. Also one more thing that was irritating was the overuse of the lines "Not Alone" and "How can you trust someone when they think your crazy?" And one more thing, what's up with that title anyways? This movie had absolutely nothing to do with anything Gothic. Movies such as Sleepy Hollow and Edward Scissorhands have a Gothic atmosphere but not this crap. But congratulations to Halle Berry and Penelope Cruz who plays another disturbed patient for delivering such great performances in such a bad movie, and props to that one and only scary shower scene. I would give Gothika 2/10.
Pieces of April (2003)
Everybody wants a piece of April
Meet April(Katie Holmes) a young eccentric woman living with her boyfriend Bobby(Derek Luke) in a small apartment far away from her family as possible who she has never gotten along with. Poor April, it's thanksgiving and she has invited her family over and promised to make dinner for the first time. But a lot of misadventures occur when the stove breaks down and stuffing a turkey isn't as easy as it looks. Will April be able to make the perfect thanksgiving dinner and finally give her family one good memory of her? This was probably one of the most touching movies I have seen in a while. It's such a simple, kind and realistic story that you can't help but love it. I adored every character in their own way and the acting by everybody was just amazing, also I couldn't get enough of April. If something simple such as someone preparing dinner, makes me cry at the end then it just shows how wonderful this movie is 10/10.
Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
Funky and Amazing
An asassin whose name is never mentioned but lets call her Uma(Ms.Thurman)was brutally beaten and shot in the head on her wedding day by her boss Bill and five of his assistants. Now four years after, Uma wakes up from a coma and realizes that not only she has lost a big part of her life but also her beloved baby. Uma is furious, Uma wants revenge, Uma must kill. Where should I start? Not only was this movie fun and exciting from beginning till end, it was a crazy mess. Add some dark humor, lots of gore and a really great soundtrack and there you have it. But that's not all, see this hugely entertaining movie for yourself. Kill Bill is the perfect combination of madness and beauty 9/10.
Scary Movie 3 (2003)
Unnecessary and Totally Forgettable
This is the third parody of the scary movies and hopefully the last. This time the spoof is mainly on The Ring, Signs and 8 Mile for some weird reason. In my opinion this movie was very pointless and unnecessary and not even funny. I laughed maybe three times and that is not enough for a comedy. I really enjoyed the first two but this one was just plain dumb. If your jokes consist of corpses getting beat up and people constantly throwing stuff at each other then this movie is for you. In my opinion, if your smart enough stay at home and save your money and please stop making these kind of movies, they just keep getting worse 3/10.
Mystic River (2003)
Dark, Heavy and disturbing movie filled with Hatred and Sadness
Three childhood friends(Jimmy,Dave,Sean) are forced to come together again when Jimmy's(Sean Penn) daughter is murdered and Dave(Tim Robbins) is found to be the main suspect. This was a very dark and heavy movie and at times quite disturbing. Knowing what people are capable of doing when they are filled with hatred and desperate to find a meaning in their sad lives and to forgive and forget the past plays definitely a big part in this movie. Sean Penn is the Man! He is amazing as usual and his performance is oscar-worthy. This movie had a heavy atmosphere, it was quite long but I had no problem with that. Life is long and things take time to figure out. I would give Mystic River 8/10.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)
What a Massacre is and should be
Five friends go on a roadtrip to Mexico to buy some drugs. There is the attractive Erin(Jessica Biel) who is probably the most mature one from her group, her boyfriend and driver Kemper(Eric Balfour), Erin's brother Morgan(Jonathan Tucker) who is a bit of a pain in the ass and enjoys getting stoned a lot and last but not least, couple Pepper(Erica Leerhsen) and Andy(Mike Voge) who can't seem to keep their hands off of each other. When they get into a gruesome incident with a hitchhiker, they are forced with a horrible encounter with Leatherface, the terrifying killer who wears masks made out of human skin and butchers everybody who comes close to him in the most horrible way possible. I was highly anticipating this movie, being a big fan of the original one. This remake was pretty good, definitely the best horror of the year so far. It gave me a few jumps and the acting was great. The one thing that I did not like was that so many things were different compared to the original. Too many characters were added, people were getting killed way to fast and some of the most important and best parts from the first Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie were missing here. However, that still didn't keep it from being a gory massacre and a decent horror. Sure, it wasn't as good as the original but what remake ever is? I would give The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 8/10.
School of Rock (2003)
Cute but quickly Forgettable
Dewey(Jack Black) wants nothing more then to be in a band but when his own band kicks him out and his roommate and his snobby girlfriend are threatening to kick him out, his dream seems impossible. But opportunity calls, and Dewey takes his roommate's job as a substitute in a private school. Of course, Dewey has absolutely no idea how to teach but when he finds out that his class can play instruments very well he decides to form a band with them and is determined to win "The Battle of the Bands". This was a very funny and entertaining movie with great music. Jack Black is his usual insane hilarious self and all the kids are adorable and extremely talented. However, I think this movie is a bit overrated and it's quickly forgettable in my opinion but still, School of Rock is an enjoyable little movie 7/10.
Lost in Translation (2003)
Perfect
A washed up actor Bob(Bill Murray) and a lonely young married girl named Charlotte(Scarlett Johansson) meet in Tokyo and become wonderful friends. This was such a beautiful movie, everything about it was just perfect. Bill Murray and the beautiful and amazing Scarlett Johansson are wonderful, this is definitely the best movie of 2003 so far. Lost in Translation gave me hope, made me cry a little and made my heart smile 10/10.
Ondskan (2003)
Gripping and Compelling
Erik Ponti(Andreas Wilson) is a young trouble maker who is constantly abused by his stepfather and often ignored by his mother. After a fight in his school, Eric gets enrolled in a boarding school by his mother. At the new school, Erik only makes one good friend Pierre(Henrik Lundström) but their lives slowly start falling apart when the older boys from the school make a pact to make Erik's life a living hell. This was a very gripping and disturbing movie. I saw this at the Vancouver Film Festival and enjoyed it quite a lot. Andreas Wilson is a gorgeous and talented young man and I hope he becomes big someday. I would give Ondskan or also known as "Evil" 8/10.
Cold Creek Manor (2003)
Too Predictable to be considered a Good Thriller
A rich couple(Dennis Quaid and Sharon Stone) and two of their kids find the perfect house and immediately move in. But of course something is not right because the previous owner(Stephen Dorff) of the house seems to be a little nuts and it seems that he will do ANYTHING to get his house back while covering up the "perfect crime". This movie was way too predictable to be considered good or even a thriller. It looked exciting and promising in the trailer and even sometimes throughout the movie itself it was thrilling but the big secret was just disappointing. I would give Cold Creek Manor a 6/10 because it was somewhat entertaining and enjoyable and because the acting wasn't too bad either.
Anything Else (2003)
Dull and Empty
This is the story of Jerry(Jason Biggs) who constantly whines because he can't seem to figure out his girlfriend Amanda(Christina Ricci) who is a little bit insane and cheats on him. But during the whole movie, Jerry has this old friend David(Woody Allen) who he spends lots of afternoons with and confides in him with his problems. I was expecting so much more of this movie but I should have known better then to have seen a Woody Allen movie which is probably as interesting as staring at a door for two hours. Maybe I'm just really dumb but this movie bore me. The story was weak and lazy and the characters never seem to know their place. The main reason why I even saw this in the first place is because I am in love with Christina Ricci and congrats to her, for doing a great job and looking stunning as usual! Anyways, there are some cute and enjoyable moments but overall this movie was dull and empty in my opinion. I would rather see anything else then this movie again 5/10.
Underworld (2003)
A Waste of Time
Selene(Kate Beckinsale) a vampire warrior and a death dealer, along with the rest of her kind, is in a war with the lycans and hunts them down and kills them. But things get complicated when a human(Scott Speedman) gets bitten by a lycan and Selene falls in love with him. Slowly she starts finding out about her past, how she became a vampire in the first place and why vampires and lycans hate each other. Now, this movie may sound and look good in the trailer but it definitely isn't. I like old-fashioned vampires, not vampires who wear leather pants, own guns and spend time on the internet. There was way to much action going on but not much of a story. This movie was very boring and too long and just a big waste of time. I would give Underworld 4/10, for some good scenes and because it could have been a better movie if it tried.