The Passion of the Christ (2004) review

(8/10)

Since I'm a devoted Christian, I'll probably like this film a whole lot more than others, but I love how the real aspects of His torture are captured through great direction.

PLOT:This Biblical film takes place shortly after the last supper when Judas (Luca Lionello) betrays Jesus Christ (Jim Caviezel) and turns him in to the head priests who are after him. We follow Jesus, Peter (Francesco De Vito), Mary (Maia Morgenstern), Mary Magdeline (Monica Belluci) and others as we witness the story of Jesus' crucifixion and torture from the streets to Calvary. It's a good story to make a film on executed brilliantly.



ACTING:The acting in here was pretty great. Jim Caviezel played a pretty solid job as the tortured Jesus Christ and made you feel how bad it was for Him. The other shiners would be Francesco De Vito as Peter, Maia Morgenstern as Mary, Monica Belluci as Mary Magdeline, Giovanni Capalbo as Cassus, and Rosalinda Celentano as Satan.

SCORE:The score in this film is very well done by John Debney. I really got into the touching and dramatic themes composed.

EFFECTS:The effects in here were quite realistic to say the least. The blood surprisingly flows freely for such a Christian film. The blood effects used to show Jesus' wounds before and after being formed are very gruesome and detailed. It really captures the brutality of civilization back then along with the pain He felt. The effects used for the corpses and demons were pretty impressive too.



OTHER CONTENT:This is an expertly-crafted version of Christ's torture and crucifixion as I've never seen it before. Mel Gibson does a great job of taking the source material from scripture and putting it on the screen expertly. He put his vision into the story we all know about Jesus and his death. It's a very brutal and realistic look at it. I cried for about half of the film, for no human being needs to go through this kind of torture, especially Him. The only flaws I could find in this film is that it's a bit overlong and a little distracted from the point. Gibson drags out the scene of Jesus hauling his cross to Calvary in pain to be crucified for dramatic effect, but it just starts to become dull and dreadful, as if the film wasn't enough already. Also, there are a few aspects Gibson put in there to get his vision out that distracted from the film, such as some of the Satan scenes and a lot of the brutality; the message is somewhat lost by the end of the film. However, if you're truly a hardcore Christian, you'll love this film regardless.

OVERALL,a great Christian film with a brilliant plot, great acting, touching score, realistic effects, realstic brutality, and a good vision to the classic story, but it's a little overlong and distracts in some parts.

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989) review

(7/10)

The National Lampoon's series has had its flops and rises; this one is a small rise. This has become a huge tradition in my household to watch this movie at least once every holiday season.

PLOT:In this third installment of the National Lampoon's vacation, the Griswolds decide to stay at home for this year's Christmas vacation, but the hassles of the family fighting and getting Christmas perfect are getting in the way. Clark (Chevy Chase) just wants a happy family Christmas, but the family's fighting, the lights aren't working, the trees too big, the neighbors are prudes, and the bonus check Clark's been hoping for is getting further and further delayed. Will this crazy, mixed-up Christmas work out right? It's a simple plot executed very well.



ACTING:The acting's not spectacular, but it's still pretty great. Chevy Chase plays a pretty funny part as the dysfunctional family-man, Clark Griswold. The whole family played mainly off of his actions, especially Beverly D'Angelo as Ellen Griswold, the wife. Besides these two, the shiners are Juliette Lewis as Audrey Griswold, Johnny Galecki as Rusty Griswold, Randy Quaid as Cousine Eddie, Dianne Ladd as Nora Griswold (Clark's mother), John Randolph as Clark Griswold, Sr., E.G. Marshall as Art (Ellen's father), Doris Roberts as Francis (Ellen's mother), Julia Lewis-Dreyfuss as Margo Chester, Mae Questel as Aunt Bethany, William Hickey as Uncle Lewis, and Brian Doyle-Murray as Mr. Frank Shirley. Every performance in the family worked, as well as the wacky-er roles.

SCORE:The score wasn't anything too special, but it was used pretty well. The soundtrack has lived in my family since we started the tradition, from the title song to "The Spirit of Christmas".

EFFECTS:There weren't a whole lot of effects, but of the few there, they were pretty realistic.



OTHER CONTENT:This Christmas movie has lived in my family as long as I can remember as one of the traditional Christmas movies we watch every year. It stays true to the crazier aspects of Christmas and how timeless it really is. The jokes can sometimes flop as well as rise, as it is a National Lampoons movie. Either way, it's still a near-hilarious and timeless Christmas movie tradition.

OVERALL,a good Christmas movie with a very well-executed plot, great acting, well-fitted score and traditional soundtrack, realistic effects, timeless jokes, Christmas realism, and some good jokes, but a lot of the movie can get old and fall as well.

A Claymation Christmas Celebration (1987) review

(10/10)

This has been a big part of my childhood since I first saw it, and it was run all the way though to now. I still love the beautiful song renditions and colorful animation.

PLOT:Rex (Johnny Counterfit) and Herb (Tim Conner) are in London's Christmas Square, going over their favorite Christmas songs in various renditions, from a goosebump-inducing "We Three Kings" to a soulful "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer", all told in unique, silly, and meaningful ways. It's a good plot idea executed wonderfully.



VOICES:The voice acting doesn't matter all that much in here, but there were some good peformances anyhow. The voices fit their characters well. Johnny Counterfit and Tim Conner as Rex and Herb are a pair of two loveable hosts and played off each other well.

SCORE:The soundtrack is the second most important part of this special. The different renditions of famous Christmas songs sound great. From beautiful to soulful to played for kicks, the score was all good.

ANIMATION:This is the most important part of the special. The animation is under the control of the great Will Vinton, and it's great as well. It's very detailed, colorful, and well done overall. Only Vinton could have pulled it off like he did.



OTHER CONTENT:This special has held a special place in my heart ever since I first saw it in my childhood. The loveable soundtrack, beautiful animation, and childlike execution all put this special at the top of my Christmas list.

OVERALL,an epic Christmas special with a wonderful plot, fitting voice acting, beautiful soundtrack, detailed and colorful animation, and a special place in my childhood heart.

The Hunger Games (2012) review

(8/10)

I've read the book in the past, and this is a pretty decent film adaptation. It misses some of the story's best moments and points and has some editing problems though.

PLOT:In the future dystopia of Panem, a competition is held each year with two teens from each of the twelve districts. These randomly-chosen teens must compete in a battle to the death known as the Hunger Games. This year, young hunter Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence), volunteers herself to take her sister, Prim's, place. Along with her, the baker's son, Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson). They go through training with the help of the previous winner, Haymitch (Woody Harrelson), the uptight Effie Trinket (Elizabeth Banks), and the fashion stylist, Cinna (Lenny Kravitz). Katniss must win over sponsors and keep herself alive in the games all while looking out for Peeta. It's a good plot executed fairly well.



ACTING:The performances are mainly what carried this movie along. Jennifer Lawrence played a great part as Katniss. Her performance carried the movie, along with Josh Hutcherson as Peeta. I'd say he's improved from his past works. The cast is all-star, so there are a lot of great performances. The other shiners would be Woody Harrelson as Haymitch, Elizabth Banks as Effie Trinket, Lenny Kravitz as Cinna, Liam Hemsworth as Gale, Stanely Tucci as Caesar Flickerman, Donald Sutherland as President Snow, Wes Bentley as Seneca, Amandla Stenberg as Rue, and Isabelle Fuhrman as Clove.

SCORE:The score was pretty good as well. It was dramatic and kept the feeling of intensity going throughout the movie. The soundtrack was also pretty good, for it had at least one good song on it.



EFFECTS:The effects in this weren't actually that bad. The effects had their good and bad moments, but it was pretty great for the most part. The bloody moments didn't happen to much on screen, but what was there looked pretty realistic. The effects used on the tracker jackers didn't looke extravagant, but also realistic. The stand-out effects would have to be the monster dogs near the end of the movie; they were very well animated. I expected them to look more wicked, but they still looked pretty cool. I liked the fire effects too.

CAMERAWORK:This is what I was referring to in "editing problems". The camera in here is so shaky that you can barely see the action go down. That bugs me for the most of the movie, so I hope the second one has better.



OTHER CONTENT:For the most part, this followed the book pretty well among main plot twists. From the arrow-in-the-apple, to the tracker jackers, and even to the dog monsters, it stayed pretty reliable. However, it had a few backstory and character development problems. It tried to make up for lost time in minor flashbacks throughout the movie, but everything just ends up getting jumbled up. For this reason, the movie loses some of its meaning of why this is happening and what is being symbolized. It's really pretty sad. Otherwise, the movie was action-packed, reliable, and well-acted.

OVERALL,a great movie with a good plot, great acting, intense score and a good soundtrack, great effects, main reliability to the book,and lots of action, but it lost some of its meaning and backstory in the screen production.

Wreck-It Ralph (2012) review

(9/10)

I liked this a lot more than I thought I would, for I love classic video games and catching references to them. It's a complete nerdgasm for all of those game-freaks out there.

PLOT:Wreck-It Ralph (John C. Reilly) is a video game bad guy in the arcade game, Fix-It Felix, Jr. with Fix-It Felix (Jack McBrayer) being the hero. After 30 years of being thrown off buildings, sleeping in the dump, and getting no respect, Ralph decides to go game-jumping to find a medal and prove his video game comrades wrong. He jumps from games like Hero's Duty, led by femme fatale, Sgt. Calhoun (Jane Lynch), to games like Sugar Rush, where he meets and befriends young outcast, Vanellope von Schweetz (Sarah Silverman). While Ralph is trying to find his medal, his game-friends are trying to save him, and a nasty plot is going down in Sugar Rush involving Vanellope. Ralph must either learn to accept himself or have his game shut down, while cleaning up his mess and solving the Sugar mystery. It's a great plot executed greatly.



VOICES:The voice acting in here is very well done. John C. Reilly does a very good job as distressed Ralph, and his performance doubles in laughs in dramatics. Sarah Silverman also played a very convincing part of the child racer, Vanellope von Schweetz. The other shiners would be Jane Lynch as Sgt. Calhoun, Jack McBrayer as Fix-It Felix, Alan Tudyk as King Candy, Rich Moore as Sour Bill, and Roger Craig Smith as Sonic the Hedgehog among many others.

SCORE:The score was pretty good. It was mainly made up of fun video game themes with some dramatic score to enhance the mood. It was a nice blend with a cool original song at the end.

ANIMATION:The animation in here wasn't anything unique, but it was very clean-cut and done with lifelike precision, next to the 8-bit effects used in some of the video games. The movie's animation was pretty much like one, big, blended video game.



OTHER CONTENT:This movie was so much better than I thought it would be. The humor was clever, the plot was very intricate, and there was great meaning behind it. The video game humor and references were very funny, among some clever jokes. There are cameos of several video game characters, including Sonic, Bowser, Ryu, Pac-Man, Dr. Eggman, Quibo, and several others. Not to mention, the jokes alone could have kept the movie going well. The plot was also very well thought-out too, especially for a kid's movie; the twists and dramatics introduced through out the movie are just glorious and could have compelled the movie further as a drama than just a kid's movie. Also, there's a great meaning behind the movie about accepting yourself no matter who you are and about appreciating every part of your life. The only bad thing about this movie is that you can sense a bit of the formula used in most good family films these days being used. They embraced the formula better than most modern family films have been doing, but it still is, in a sense, formulaic.

OVERALL,an awesome family movie with a great plot, very well done voice acting, fun score, clean animation, clever humor and references, intricate plot twists, and great meaning, but it had a sense of formula in it.

Yellow Submarine (1968) review

(9/10)

This animated Beatles film will make you want to live in a yellow submarine. Nostalgic animation, great music, and trippy situations all make this worthwhile.

PLOT:Pepperland used to be one of the most beautiful places in the world, where Sgt. Pepper's band played and the music was good. However, that all changed when the Blue Meanies attacked. Chief Blue Meanie (Paul Angelis) sends out all he has to destroy happiness in Pepperland, from his Snapping Turks to his Glove. Only one civilian, Fred (Lance Percival), is able to get out alive in the yellow submarine. He travels to Liverpool to find help. He follows Ringo (Paul Angelis) home and begs for help. Ringo rounds up John (John Clive), George (Peter Batten), and Paul (Geoffrey Hughes), and they travel on a great journey through several different seas to the town of Pepperland to stop the Meanies. It's a good plot executed brilliantly.



VOICES:The voice acting was pretty great, even though the real Beatles didn't voice themeselves. The voice actors doing the Beatle voices were actually pretty close-sounding to the real thing. Paul Angelis also did a pretty unique voicing job as the Cheif Blue Meanie. Aside from him, the shiners were Paul Angelis as Ringo Starr, John Clive as John Lennon, Peter Batten as George Harrison, Geoffrey Hughes as Paul McCartney, Lance Percival as Fred, and Dick Emery as the Nowhere Man and Max with an honorable mention to the real Beatles in a cameo at the end.

SCORE:The soundtrack is obviously made up of all Beatles songs. Considering the fact that I love the Beatles, I think the soundtrack was pretty great. It includes classics such as "Nowhere Man", "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds", "Eleanor Rigby", "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", All Together Now", and many more.

ANIMATION:This is one of the main things that carried the film along. The animation was very nostalgic and uniquely done. I haven't seen animation like this done in any other film or movie. It was a little flawed in some parts, but it wasn't bad at all.



OTHER CONTENT:This Beatles film is fun for everyone. Aside from the animation, great voice soundalikes, and Beatle-mania, the trippier aspects of this film stand out. This is truly a fantasy adventure where all melancholy and trippy visuals collide. You see things in here you won't ever see anywhere else. This can also be its main flaw, since the plot jumps all over the place with its twists. It's a major trip, but I love it. I also appreciated the solid direction put to it. This guy, George Denning, could have gone off to made many more movies.

OVERALL,an awesome Beatles film with a brilliantly-executed plot, great acting, classic Beatles soundtrack, nostalgic and unique animation, and trippy visuals with solid direction, but the trippy visuals could also turn people away.

The Exorcist: The Version You've Never Seen (2000) review

(9/10)

To cap off the Halloween season this year, I review one of the scariest horror films there has ever been. This has stood the test of time with abounding horror, brilliant performances, and great effects for the time.

PLOT:Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn) and her daughter, Regan (Linda Blair), are currently living in a big city while Chris is acting in a movie, shot by the drunken director, Burke Dennings (Jack MacGowran). While there, strange things start happening in the MacNeil household, for Regan claims her bed has been shaking and has been swearing heavily like she has never before. The doctors say its a problem with her temporal lobe, but things only go from bad to worse as they try to treat her. After seeing sights such as her daughter growling, levitating, and even changing voices, Chris becomes convinced that her daughter is possessed. She has a tough time find a priest to help, but she eventually stumbles across faith-stricken Father Karras (Jason Miller) and professional exorcist, Father Merrin (Max von Sydow), who has also been on expeditions to Africa for experience. These two must get the demon out of Regan or die trying. It's a great plot executed brilliantly.



ACTING:The performances in here are top-notch. Linda Blair has to be one of the best child actors of all-time for pulling off Regan MacNeil, a possessed child, at only about 9 years old. Jason Miller and Max von Sydow also played a couple great parts as the priests, Father Karras and Merrin; they played off of each other very well and worked intensely. The other shining stars would have been Ellyn Burstyn as distressed Chris MacNeil, Jack MacGowran as drunken Burke Dennings, Lee J. Cobb as Lt. Winderman, Mercedes McCambridge as the demon voice, and Eileen Dietz as the demon's face.

SCORE:The score is creepy and very memorable. The theme song, "Tubular Bells" by Mike Oldfield, has become one of the most memorable horror film themes in history. The rest of the score was pretty good too, and done in part by Jack Nitzche.

EFFECTS:The effects for this film's time were phenomenal, and they still are. The effects in here are super realistic, which makes them all the more scary. The blood, make-up, vomit, bed-shaking, head-turning, and illusioned effects were very great and made everything scary as ever.



OTHER CONTENT:This is one of the best horror films I've ever seen. Along with its previous rises, it doesn't stray too far from the book, has great editing, and is shot to scare. I've read the book before, and after seeing this, I notice only a slight change in dialogue and detail. Otherwise, all is down right. The director, William Friedkin, did a great job editing this film just right, as to add the most effective scares; it's great cinematography. This film is shot to do nothing to its audience but scare, disturb, and unnerve. In its release, it succeeded greatly. Today, it still does. This is truly an iconic horror film. I also appreciate how much awesome bonus material is added in this version, which makes it even better and more accurate. However, the book had a bit more feeling put into its ending as compared to the film. I cried at the end of the book, but the film just got my nerves up. They both come close as ever, but the book has a smidge more feeling in it.

OVERALL,an awesome horror film with a brilliantly-executed plot, top-notch performances, creepy score, realistic effects, most accuracy to the book, great editing, the effect to scare, and plenty of added bonuses, but the book has a bit of a stronger ending than the film.