I love love stories. Some of the most genuine emotions you find onscreen come in dramatic love stories and this was a very clear example of that. I will admit that it took me a little while to separate Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal from their straightness and completely commit to believing the relationship. Once I had, everything fell into place.
Posted in DVD/Blu-Ray, Five Stars, Full List, Oscar Nominee, Oscar Winner
Tagged Ang Lee, Brokeback Mountain, Entertainment, Film, Heath Ledger, Jack Gyllenhall, Media, Movies, Opinion, Reviews
Some of Steven Spielberg‘s best work. As he is gaining the freedom to do what he wants, he is taking advantage of it in a really great way. Making message films that won’t necessarily please a universal audience. My only complaints were that it felt a wee bit patronizing by the end. The entire movie is setting up this idea of “war and the warrior-is it worth it in the end and if not, why do we continue to fight so passionately?” Granted, this is a powerful message and should be made clear, but it’s more powerful when the audience can find it on their own. Continue reading
Posted in DVD/Blu-Ray, Full List, Oscar Nominee
Tagged Entertainment, Eric Bana, Film, Media, Movies, Munich, Opinion, Reviews, Steven Spielberg
I didn’t like this film very much. For one thing is was just FAR too long. Throughout the film there were scenes that could have been taken out and it seemed like Peter Jackson was going for some kind of epical final product which was unnecessary. 
While there were some scenes (the fight with the dinosaurs, Kong in New York) that were really incredible and just fun to watch, there were an equal amount of scenes that seemed gratuitous and didn’t do anything for me. Also the characters were incredibly superficial. You never get to know them on any kind of level, which I’m sure is what he was going for. He was trying to recreate the kind of shallowness of characters from films in the 1930s and he did it well, but if you’re going to establish that sort of basic character development and not go any further than there is no way that you can develop the story as much as they did. It’s one or the other. I will say that I think he shot a lot of the film beautifully. Particularly the scenes with Naomi Watts. I was pretty enamored every time she stared at the camera. I liked Kong a lot too. He looked incredible and they did an excellent job of establishing his relationship with Watts, in fact, now that I think about it they almost went too far with that too. By the end it kind of felt like a bull fight. Just kill him already.
Posted in DVD/Blu-Ray, Full List
Tagged Adrien Brody, Entertainment, Film, King Kong, Media, Movies, Naomi Watts, Opinion, Peter Jackson, Reviews
As my friend Preston put it, “I have been waiting for a movie like this.” It’s been awhile since I saw a film that felt as flawless as this one. The story develops appropriately, and certainly feels like Pulp Fiction, but, as much as the characters don’t need to be accountable as real people, I would dare to say that it excels past Tarantino’s best film. The
three stories that develop in the film mix horrific violence with dark humor and translate to some of the best noir I’ve ever seen. Aside from how great the story was, as well as the characters (Mickey Rourke, Clive Owen, and Bruce Willis are all phenomenal) the film looks amazing! Every shot is a masterpiece, and the colors give each character their own personality. I think what it comes down to is that movies like this are the next step in film. Yes we can make movies that look visually stunning, but when we are able to do that in a way that only lends itself to the story, and in no way has to hold it up, that’s the true compilation of technology and great writing
Posted in DVD/Blu-Ray, Full List
Tagged Bruce Willis, Clive Owen, Entertainment, Film, Media, Mickey Rourke, Movies, Opinion, Reviews, Robert Rodriguez, Sin City
Peter Wertz
Wertz of Wisdom 
