Overall Rating: ****
A History of Violence @ IMDB

Synopsis:
Tom Stall (Viggo Mortensen) is a quiet family man that runs a diner in a small town. When two murderous thugs come in to the diner and start to attack a customer, Tom springs in to action killing them both. Tom is quickly elevated from average joe to hometown hero. The media coverage, however, brings Carl Fogarty (Ed Harris) to town. Carl is a mobster claiming that Tom is really Joey Cusack, a hit man from Philadelphia. Fogarty’s persistence not only threatens Tom but his wife, Edie (Maria Bello) and their children. Does Tom have a real history of violence, or is he just a small town hero caught in a case of mistaken identity?

Review:
This was a pretty solid movie. I enjoyed it more than I thought it was. I wasn’t really sure what to expect. From what I’ve learned about David Cronenberg (the director) since I watched this movie, it seems that I got slightly lucky. Cronenberg has a tendency towards the graphic and perverse, but this movie was almost untouched by that particular problem of his. This movie is violent, not as much gore as you would expect, but still a lot. The thing is, the story requires it. Violence is at the core of this movie. It would be pointless if it didn’t look real.
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Overall Rating: *****
V for Vendetta @ IMDB

Synopsis:
In the near future, the end of the world has come and gone. A Third World War has ravaged the world and mysterious plague killed thousands in Great Britain. But through it all “England Pervails” as a totalitarion state under the leadership of High Chancellor Sutler (John Hurt). Using a mask of Guy Fawkes of the famed Gunpowder Treason, a vigilanty known only as “V” (Hugo Weaving) uses his amzing agility and strength to open the eyes of the British people. He is unwavering in his use of terrorist tactics until he meets a young girl named Evey Hammond (Natalie Portman). Will V succeed in saving Britain?

Remember, remember the fifth of November,
Gunpowder treason and plot.
We see no reason
Why gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot!

Review:
A friend of mine said it best as we were leaving the movie theatre: “It’s rare that you see a perfect movie, and this was a perfect movie.” I can do little but agree with him. This movie was amazing and I could find nothing wrong with it. V for Vendetta is an adaptation of graphic novel/comic book series of the same name by Alan Moore. This movie was action packed, dramatic, touching and enthralling.
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Overall Rating: **
Domino @ IMDB

Synopsis:
Spoiled little rich girl, Domino Harvey (Kiera Knightley) grows tired of her Beverly Hills lifestyle and becomes a bounty hunter. Under the tutelage of Ed Mosbey (Mickey Rourke) and with the help of Choco (Edgar Ramirez), Domino quickly becomes skilled at hunting down the bad guys. When her crew gets called in to bag a quartet of armored truck robbers, things go horribly wrong. A con gone wrong quickly involves the mob, the FBI, a tv producer, Afghanistan, and a sick little girl.

My name is Domino Harvey, I am a bounty hunter……

Review:
I was expecting a pretty bad movie, and from the overall rating I gave it, you probably think I hated this movie. Interestingly enough, that wasn’t the case. This was a bad movie, and it does deserve only 2 out of 5 stars. However, I never said that it didn’t have some redeeming qualities. There are several good points to this movie that made it a 2 star movie as opposed to a 0 star movie. As someone I know likes to say, zero is greater than negative one. So I guess I’m saying its bad, but not as bad as it could be.
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Overall Rating: ****
King Kong @ IMDB

Synopsis:
Retelling of the classic action film from the 30’s. This time the big ape gets a face lift with 20th century effects and script that’s a lot longer than the last one. When an ambitious movie director, Carl Denham (Jack Black), gets in trouble with the studios, he’s forced to rush his trip to a lost island filled with mystery. He convinces an aspiring actress Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts) and the famous writer, Jack Driscoll (Adrien Brody) to join him as he heads towards the unknown. What they find on the uncharted island is a lost world and one hairy ape.

Review:
This one is a tough one. I really struggled with how many stars to give this movie. King Kong is a classic. You have to do it right and I’ll be honest. I don’t know if Peter Jackson got it right this time. This movie was long! Three hours and seven minutes long! It was all good stuff. But was it all really necessary?
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Overall Rating: *****
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe @ IMDB

Synopsis:
When four young children are sent away during the bombing of London, an eccentric professor takes them in at his countryside mansion. One rainy day, a simple game of hide and seak helps a young Lucy Pevensie (Georgie Henley) discover a mysterious wardrobe. Soon Lucy leads her siblings Edmund (Skandar Keynes), Susan (Anna Popplewell), and Peter (William Moseley) through the wardrobe and in to the magical land of Narnia. But all is not as it seems in the enchanting world. A never ending winter has fallen upon the land and the evil White Witch (Tilda Swinton) has driven everyone to live in fear. The children must struggle across Narnia to fulfill an ancient prophecy and learn what their destinies hold.

Review:
This movie was amazing! I read (or possibly listened to) this book when I was a kid. I honestly don’t remember any of it. I was thoroughly impressed by this movie. I will start this one off with my final recommendation: GO SEE THIS MOVIE! I highly recommend you go see this movie while its in the theatre. Its definitely a cinematic experience and I would go so far as to say that its worth a primetime ticket. I must impress upon you that, that is high praise (at least in my book).
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Overall Rating: ***
The Legend of Zorro @ IMDB

Synopsis:
As California moves to join the Union, trouble begins to brew and Zorro (Antonio Banderas) must ride again. As he struggles with his responsibilities to the people he swore to protect, Alejandro must find time to be a husband and a father. His marriage may be the sacrifice he must pay to save Mexico, but there seems to be more to his marital problems than meets the eye. Now Alejandro must fight an ancient brotherhood bent on starting a civil war and try to win back Elena (Catherine Zeta-Jones).

Review:
The sequel jinx?! What a surprise! Ok, I’m not saying anything too surprising. The Legend of Zorro wasn’t nearly as good as The Mask of Zorro. There are several elements from the first one that they brought back well for the sequel. Other things didn’t quite work that well. I warn, I’m going to rant a little bit later. Its not something that’s only a problem with this movie, but more on that later.
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