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Jul 20
 I haven’t lined up to watch a movie in ages. Two days after the premiere of The Dark Knight, the lines were filled up in Rockwell yesterday. I was thinking, this is going to be another one of those ultra-hyped superhero movies that’s going to end up as a huge flop. So I went in the theater with nothing but very high expectations of how it would turn out. I don’t recall ever seeing reviews and ratings for a movie so high from sources like IMDB and especially Rotten Tomatoes, but this one had all the critics bowing down in awe.
Usually, around 90% of the time, when I go into a movie expecting it to be unbelievably excellent, it proves to be a complete failure. The Dark Knight, not only proved me wrong on that count, but also turned out to be hands-down the best movie of 2008 (no movie shown this year is even close), and it might just be one of the best movies EVER made. You don’t have to take my word for it, if you haven’t watched it yet, do yourself a favor and line up, because it is definitely going to be worth every penny, and more. I’ll try to make this review as spoiler free as possible for those who haven’t watched it yet.
First off, this isn’t a superhero movie. Second, this isn’t even Batman’s movie. It can be summed up in the words of one of the critics when she said “the Joker should be charged with the film’s biggest crime: stealing the show.” And that indeed says it all. Sure, this firm was a Batman film, but it was a film about the Joker, and even Harvey Dent, for that matter. Batman played a supporting role in this film, honestly, amidst the new suit and toys, it was all overshadowed by how rich the Joker and Harvey Dent’s characters were put to life. And that’s props to how great the late Heath Ledger and Aaron Eckhart were in their respective roles.
The movie starts off with a rather peculiar bank heist, and now that I look back at it I understand the point of starting it that way. The mood and the storyline was riveting, and you wouldn’t realize that you have sat past 2 hours and 42 minutes because it kept you glued to your seat. The anarchy and chaos the Joker created is unmatched by any Batman movie ever made. And he was scary, man, whenever he came on screen you couldn’t wait to see what he was going to do next. The morality angle was portrayed so well, and the kind of corruption the Joker was able to inflict on Gotham (in its entirety) was nothing short of poetic. The twists and turns seemed endless too, and you would catch yourself thinking that was all there is to it, but there was actually still so much more.
The character of Harvey Dent as the “White Knight” of Gotham was awe-inspiring, and also very disheartening, because it proved that in the end, the Joker still won. Dent’s role was played to a tee and also to utter perfection. You would catch yourself cheering for the character as you wanted him to truly succeed in what he was trying to do, and still kept cheering on when you saw Dent’s character inexplicably transforming. That’s what makes this movie eerily great. You are totally engulfed by it and would applaud the characters that played their roles to perfection. I had so many instances in the movie when I kept saying to myself “Damn, that was good.” And this is definitely a movie for the ages, and for those who love seeing good versus evil, with an ending that is up in the air until the final cut of the film.
Heath Ledger’s portrayal of the Joker was unbelievable. No words can do it justice. And the fact that he is gone makes it such a shame, because it would be perfect to see him hold up that Oscar when he receives it. Yes, he will get it, there is no question. I thought that they were nominating him to win because of the sad fact that he passed away, and it would be like a nice goodbye parting gift, but he truly does deserve it. I am sad that such a talent has passed away. No one is going to be able to play the Joker as perfectly as Heath Ledger has, EVER.
Here’s a little trivia from IMDB to add more accolades to Heath’s role in the movie. To prepare for his role as the Joker, Heath Ledger lived alone in a hotel room for a month, formulating the character’s psychology, posture and voice (the last one he found most difficult to do). He started a diary, in which he wrote the Joker’s thoughts and feelings to guide himself during his performance. He was also given Alan Moore’s comic “Batman: The Killing Joke” and “Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth” to read. Ledger also took inspiration from A Clockwork Orange (1971)’s Alex and Sid Vicious. Wow.
What else is there to say without spoiling the movie any more than I already have. It’s hands-down the best movie of 2008, it’s going to be up there on the all-time best EVER movies list, and it’s Heath Ledger’s final masterpiece on film. Christian Bale’s Batman can come back with a bang in the third installment, but Ledger and Eckhart, OWN this one.
Personal Rating (out of 10): 9.4/10
IMDb User Rating (out of 10): 9.6/10
Starring: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Morgan Freeman
Genre: Action
Duration: 152 minutes
Posters: Batman: The Dark Knight Poster, The Joker Poster, Harvey Dent Poster (500×800), The Dark Knight Poster (620×889), Batman: Facing Gotham, The Joker: Why So Serious (452×629)
Links: IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes
Jul 14
 There’s nothing like another superhero flick, right? Well… I didn’t expect much from this movie honestly, but when it ended, I couldn’t help but nod my head at how good it actually was. IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes, and a bunch of other critics gave Will Smith a horribly low score on this one. But how can all three be so wrong?! Unless I’m the one with really bad taste in movies, all I can say is that this one was definitely worth watching.
Hancock is a story about a “superhero” who could care less about being one. The movie starts off with Hancock (Will Smith) dead drunk on a bench with a kid trying to wake him up to help end a police chase. What follows is Hancock’s spree of reckless pursuance of crime and a complete disregard for public property. He destroys the entire block in the midst of apprehending the criminals that he is chasing. Everyone hates him, and says that they would be better off without him. One day he saves the life of Ray (Jason Bateman) from a train that was headed straight at his car. Ray is a PR executive, in lieu of Hancock saving his life, tries to help Hancock fix his image so he can be loved by the people. Ray brings him home to meet his wife and son as thanks, but his wife Mary (Charlize Theron) believes that Hancock cannot be fixed.
If I say anything else after that, then the twists in the movie would be given up, and it would spoil the movie for all the people who haven’t watched it, so I won’t. I went into this movie not expecting a lot, and knowing that there was a twist to it because my sister told me that it did the night before I watched it. So I went in to the theater trying to figure out as early as possible what it was. The only thing I can say is that there are actually 2 twists, with the second being the best one. The greatest thing about the first twist is that it was so unexpected. I thought I knew what it was from the get-go, but I was wrong! The second one, I totally didn’t expect, and it was that twist that made the movie a really good one.
If you haven’t watched this movie, I can guarantee you wouldn’t figure out what the twist is. The movie was very well-done, and any movie that surprises you the way this did, is definitely worth more than what IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes scored it at. There have been a ton of movies over the decades, and practically all the original ideas have already been shown and all the possible twists to similar stories practically done. Hancock is a fresh new idea, of a superhero who has powers but isn’t really one to begin with because of how he is. His journey towards knowing his true nature was very nicely done, and was actually shocking, yet inspiringly sad in the end.
I would strongly suggest you go watch this movie just to see if you could figure out what the twist actually is. As I said, you would never figure it out, and when it gets to the secret being revealed, you would truly feel for Hancock’s character. At least they ended it on a happy note so you won’t leave feeling depressed. But props to the 3 main characters (Will Smith, Charlize Theron, and Jason Bateman), as they have successfully made this movie truly worth watching. Will Smith definitely solidifies his status as one of Hollywood’s best actors. I hope this movie does very well everywhere and proves all those critics wrong.
Personal Rating (out of 10): 8.4/10
IMDb User Rating (out of 10): 6.9/10
Starring: Will Smith, Charlize Theron, Jason Bateman
Genre: Action
Duration: 92 minutes
Links: IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes
Jun 22
Ice Age is definitely one of my favorite animated movies. And one thing that sets it apart from the other animated films out there, is that it has a character that scene shifts in and out of the movie.
That character even has its own short films. The first being “Gone Nutty,” where he is surrounded by a myriad of acorns he has collected up to when he accidentally rams the last one in the middle of it all and caused a continental drift. The second installment called “No Time for Nuts,” finds him still searching for his acorn, but this time also finds a time machine that transports him to different historical events.
Not many people actually know that the name of the character is Scrat. A pesky saber-toothed squirrel in search of the acorn he will forever have for himself. In the second short film, while trying to bury his acorn in the Ice Age, Scrat uncovers a frozen time machine. Accidentally activating the machine, he goes on a hilarious adventure chasing his precious acorn through time.
This short film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Subject, unfortunately it didn’t win. But for a 7 minute plus short, it had had great visual effects in terms of where Scrat ended up and how he kept shifting from era to era. The gags were very clever and funny and Scrat’s character looks as polished as ever. If you want to take a look at a clip of the short, click HERE. For the complete short, it is available in the Ice Age: the Meltdown DVD 
Jun 08
 The last time I watched an incredibly refreshing animated movie was when The Incredibles hit the theaters in 2004, and long before that, Monster’s Inc back in 2001! The others that came out were pretty mediocre. Finding Nemo, Cars, Shrek, I really didn’t like those at all.
When I first heard of Kung Fu Panda, the first thing that came in my head was that Shaolin Soccer movie for some reason. The trailer was okay, and it wasn’t really something provoking that got me really excited to want to watch it. Dreamworks never really hit the right spot for me in terms of their animated films, especially Shrek, which I really disliked. Sinbad, though, was pretty good, so why not, it would be interesting to see how Dreamworks would try to pull off a Panda that could do Kung Fu. To say the least, when I got out of the theater after the movie was done, I had a stupid smile on my face. Something I usually look for when people come out because you would know if the movie was good or not. And this was definitely one of the finest, not to mention most hilarious animated movies I have ever watched.
The movie starts out rather epic, hehe, with Po the Panda, dreaming of his own greatness in being a true hero, a Kung Fu Master. He wakes up to the voice of his duck of a father, who asks him to come down and help him start the day in their noodle shop. Right from the beginning, I was already in awe, of how clean and well drawn the graphics were. And even from the start, I had already began laughing especially when Po was trying to run down the stairs but had to try and shoot a ninja star into his wall… and failed horribly, haha! While serving customers, a legendary tournament of fate was posted in their restaurant, and everyone rushed to the temple to witness who would be crowned the Dragon King, amongst the Furious 5, shown above
This is where the story really begins. The Furious 5 being the greatest warriors of the land, would battle it out to see who the Dragon Warrior would be. Whoever that is, would battle Tai Lung, that vicious tiger, or is it leopard, you see down there, who has escaped from the most secure prison in the land, to claim the Dragon Scroll! The sequence of how Tai Lung escaped was also very alluring, 1000 guards, one way in, one way out, and one prisoner. While the Five were battling, Po struggles to get in the temple, and finally drops from a firecracker chair he made, right in front of the Master Oogway (translated to turtle), who was about to appoint the Dragon Warrior by pointing at him. Of course, it was Po who dropped in front of his finger, and thus, his story begins. The Five are annoyed at the sight of Po, and made his life in the temple miserable so he would quit. The scenes that follow are rather priceless, and Po’s journey to being the Kung Fu warrior he had always wanted to be ensued. I won’t talk about the next scenes anymore so those who haven’t seen this movie can enjoy it as much as I did
The dialogue in this movie, especially those by Po, were just utterly hilarious. I don’t recall ever laughing as hard, or as much, in any movie I’ve seen this year. The concept of having a Panda as fat as he is, be able to TRY and do Kung Fu, was really fresh. The scene when Po was in the Peach Tree location and Master Oogway found him was hilarious. And the parts where Master Shi Fu was finally training Po for real, was a joy to watch, and was also very funny. This movie definitely proved a lot of critics wrong, and I can bet that there aren’t a lot of people who will come out and say that this movie was not worth it to watch
The cast was very strong. I had intentionally not looked at who was starring as the voices, so all I knew was that the Panda was Jack Black, who I don’t like either. But when you hear all of them in the film, you’ll realize that their balance was perfect. Dustin Hoffman’s voice reverberates very strongly as Master Shi Fu and the voice of the calmly slow and tissue-box-quote-filled Master Oogway, played by Randall Kim, are really amazingly fit for both roles. I was surprised to know that Angelina Jolie and Lucy Liu were also voice talents in this movie, but none more surprising than the fact that even Jackie Chan was one of the Furious 5
In the end, this movie rocked, and totally exceeded my expectations. An animated film that was able to pull off amazing graphics with hilariously funny dialogue, along with a little twist of drama, definitely will be a worldwide success. If you’re bringing your kids to the mall to drop them off to watch this movie, make sure to go watch it with them. I can guarantee that you’ll come out of the theater with a smile on your face, just like your kids will.
Personal Rating (out of 10): 8.9/10
IMDb User Rating (out of 10): 7.8/10
Starring: Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, Jackie Chan, Lucy Liu
Genre: Animation / Comedy / Action
Duration: 92 minutes
Links: IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes
May 03
 This was one of the more anticipated movies for the first half of 2008. But as with all big-name-big-buck movies, there were huge expectations, and usually the movie bombs. But with the first installment of Iron Man, it definitely exceeded my expectations. Unbelievably high-tech yet slapstick at the same time, the movie hinged on a very consistent light comedic dialogue between all the characters. The cast was very well picked out as all three main characters did superbly well in their respective roles. The story line was also pretty good and consistent with the dilemma Tony Stark really had in the original comics. But the most impressive part in the movie was definitely the armor! The guys who did the rendering of Iron Man’s armor did an amazing job, and when you see it in the movie, you will be in awe, as I was
Iron Man is a story about a wealthy philanthropist named Tony Stark, who is a filthy rich carefree billionaire industrialist and inventor. The movie starts off with Stark showing off his latest creation in weapons technology and then gets kidnapped by some Afghan rebels. As it turns out, most of Stark’s weapons were being bought out by this same group and was being used to destroy innocent neighboring countries. He wakes up in a cave with a huge metal plate in his chest powered by a car battery. Apparently, the shrapnel from his own weapon had pierced his heart and the mechanism in his chest was the only thing keeping him alive.
Stark is then forced to build a diabolical weapon, but instead uses his ingenuity to create an indestructible suit of armor to escape his captors. He then discovers that he knew very little of where his weapons were going and vowed to rid the world of the same weapons he had created. With his new found conscience and zest for life, he creates a brand new suit of armor to help him in his mission. And from here, you will see the process of the creation of his armor as well as the character roles being developed very well.
Robert Downey Jr, may just be the perfect actor to have portrayed Iron Man, and may be the best fit to a superhero since Hugh Jackman for Wolverine. If you are familiar with the cartoon series long ago, he looks very much like Tony Stark. And Downey Jr. played his role to a tee mixing arrogance with comedic aptitude that was a pure joy to watch on-screen. Gwyneth Paltrow co-stars as his secretary, “Pepper” Potts, the shy-yet-feisty sidekick who’s not so secretly in love with her boss. I never liked her, but she looked quite amazing in this movie. And playing the wily Obadiah Stane is Jeff Bridges, in probably the best role I’ve seen him play. He seems revitalized and was also perfect for the role in his shaved head and beard. Bridges challenges Stark’s new found idealism at every turn and was also a great joy to watch.
All in all, the movie was very entertaining and fun to watch. I would most definitely watch it again, and I’m going to buy the DVD when it comes out. If you haven’t seen it yet, please do yourself a favor and make sure you do on the big screen. There is nothing more amazing than seeing this movie in all its glory in the theaters. The way the technology of the armor was shown while it was being built, as well as when Tony Stark dons the final version was awe-inspiring. There was never a time in the movie that I got bored, and it was entertaining from start to finish. Oh, it was also great hearing Terrence Howard say “maybe next time” after seeing another armor set in Tony Stark’s tech room. It means we will definitely see a second installment of this movie and I can’t wait for that one!
Personal Rating (out of 10): 9.0/10
IMDb User Rating (out of 10): 8.3/10
Starring: Robert Downey Jr, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges, Terrence Howard
Genre: Sci-Fi / Thriller / Action
Size: 52 Files (Use HJSplit to Join), 693.06 MB
Duration: 126 minutes
Torrent: NewTorrents (click for expanded links, not DVD quality yet)
Links: Scoop: Iron Man 2 Plot and Villain Details
Apr 15
 A decapitated Statue of Liberty in the teaser poster of this movie caught my eye, as well as my curiosity. I saw the trailer before watching it though, and it seemed like another one of those “Blair Witch” type of movies where it’s all first person camera view and you’d come out of the theaters wobbly because of how dizzy you would be from all the camera movement. Surprisingly, it was pretty well done, and I would recommend you watch it for the sheer experience of it being a “different kind” of movie.
The movie starts off showing an apparent file from the US Department of Defense on the sightings retrieved from an SD card in Central Park on something called “Cloverfield.” The movie actually begins with the point of view camera held by Rob in an apartment filming up to when he gets to Beth in bed (yum  ), thus the two main characters of the movie are born. Apparently, Rob is moving to Japan and his friends set up a surprise bon voyage party for him. His brother Jason wants no part of doing the pleasantries of getting testimonials from everyone so he coaxes Hud, played by T.J. Miller, to do it for him. Beth comes in with another guy and when Rob meets him, he goes nuts. Camera will focus on an argument outside the apartment where the party is, then the next picture is a clear fight between the two characters up to which Beth leaves in anger. Everything then starts getting turbulent when all the lights suddenly go off and everything shakes like a huge earthquake had just hit.
What follows is probably 65 minutes of video camera views starting with that huge explosion that rocked the city and there is panic everywhere. People start going to the streets wondering what has happened, then they suddenly get a glimpse of what caused the blackout. It’s a monster that’s walking around the city, seen in the picture below, destroying everything in its path. It was cool how there were black op jets dropping bombs on it and seeing the bombs explode on the monster, but to no avail. While all this is happening, Rob gets a call from Beth that she’s somewhere trapped and his phone goes dead. Buildings are falling, chaos is everywhere, and Rob goes to a shop to find battery for his cellphone just to call Beth haha! 5 of them from the party run through the streets trying to find her and finally do. She is attached to a long steel bar on her torso, so what do these guys do? They rip her off the steel bar and she miraculously runs 50+ flights of stairs down her building! What follows next, you guys will just need to watch and see. Question after the movie you’d probably be asking yourself would be… is this a monster flick or is it a love story? 
Rotten Tomatoes seems to have given it a pretty decent score considering how critical they are. And oh, J.J Abrams is the director of this movie, well known for directing a ton of great TV series like Alias, Lost, Felicity, and the Office. He said he came up the new monster idea while he was in Japan with his son promoting MI3 and wanted something like Godzilla. There are a few cool and funny things about the movie you might want to know. First, you can see the image of the monster hidden in the clouds on the upper-right hand corner of the poster. Second, take note of the time stamp at the end of the movie when Rob says his final goodbyes, because there is none (hehe). And last, after you watch the movie, you’d probably be wondering like I did, why the movie was titled “Cloverfield.”
Well, your guess, is definitely going to be as bad as mine. Just follow the link below to download the file. Enjoy the monster!
Personal Rating (out of 10): 7.0/10
IMDb User Rating (out of 10): 7.8/10
Starring: Michael Stahl-David, Odette Yustman, T.J. Miller, Lizzy Caplan
Genre: Sci-Fi / Thriller / Action
Size: 102 Files (Use HJSplit to Join), 1.37 GB
Duration: 85 minutes
Torrent: NewTorrents
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