The Hustler

"Fast" Eddie Felson is a small-time pool hustler with a lot of talent but a self-destructive attitude. His bravado causes him to challenge the legendary "Minnesota Fats" to a high-stakes match, but he loses in a heartbreaking marathon. Now broke and without his long-time manager, Felson faces an uphill battle to regain his confidence and his game. It isn't until he hits rock bottom that he agrees to join up with ruthless and cutthroat manager Bert Gordon. Gordon agrees to take him on the road to learn the ropes. But Felson soon realizes that making it to the top could cost him his soul, and perhaps his girlfriend. Will he decide that this is too steep a price to pay in time to save himself?

This movie is a personal favorite of mine that includes two of the greats Paul Newman and Jackie Gleason. These two gentleman made this movie great but they had a little help from George C.Scott who plays the token boss bad guy to a tee. He only adds to the perfection that is a certain commeraderie between the two great actors. they play off each other in one of the greatest man against himself films ever made. If you get a chance to see this movie i say do it and now. I give this movie a 10 out of 10. Yes i am biased but its the truth too.

The One

here is not one universe, but there are many, which is a multiverse. Supposing you are just one person, there are many other versions of you in the other universes, there are ways to travel, but only a police agency,MVA, can travel only for police procedures. Gabriel Yulaw (Jet Li)is a former MVA agent, who killed another version of himself in self-defense. It made the other versions of him stronger. When Yulaw found out about this, he became power-hungry killing the 122 other versions for two years. After killing Lawless (also played by Jet)and getting captured by his former partner Roedecker (Delroy Lindo) and a new MVA agent Funsch (Jason Statham) Yulaw managed to escape the prison and is trying to kill his last target, Gabe Law (also played by Jet) who is a police officer. He is also at Yulaw's strength. Roedecker and Funsch now have to arrest Yulaw before he can kill Gabe. There is a possibility that the universe could die or make Yulaw invinible. After encountering Yulaw for the first time, Gabe thought that it was his split personality, but it wasn't. Will Gabe be able to confront Yulaw before or after Yulaw ruins his life?

This movie had a very strong plot basically staing that if you could jump through dimensions and you killed yourself in the other dimensions than the power of that individual would be dispersed to all the other you's in the other dimensions. The only thing i had a problem with that was the idea of life energy being absorbed by another is from the Highlander series. So it's not that i didn't like it cause i loved it but the premise isn't new by any means. I thought the special effects and the choreography for the fight scene's was incredible. plus the soundtrack was a good addition. I gave this movie a 9 out of 10. If you get around to checking this movie out the very last scene of the movie is pretty cool.

The Rock

It's a quiet day in San Francisco. There are 81 civilians on a tour of Alcatraz, the prison famous for the fact that no prisoner had ever successfully escaped. During one of the tours, General Francis X. Hummel takes the civilians hostage, with the help of other marines. He has 15 rockets of deadly V.X. gas at his disposal, ready to launch at San Francisco. His reason for doing this is simple: he has seen soldiers under his command get killed in combat without a military burial or benefits to their families. He makes a threat to the FBI: give the fallen soldiers recognition or he will launch the V.X. rockets. After learning that one rocket is enough to take out sixty or seventy thousand people, the FBI sends for their top Chemical Weapons expert: Dr. Stanley Goodspeed( Nicholas Cage) , engaged to his pregnant girlfriend. While trying to figure out a countermeasure to the current situation, the FBI is forced to resort to John Mason( Sean Connery), an ex-con who broke out of Alcatraz in 1963.

The Rock is a fun story about death and destruction at the hands of war heroes turn terrorist's. I have seen this film quite a few times and i like it but there is one flaw in this movie: Nicholas Cage's acting was subpar in comparison to Sean Connery's and Ed Harris's. There were only a few parts in which i believed any of the crap that came out of Cage's mouth. I gave this movie a 7 out of 10 and thats because sean Connery can act. Thank you Mr. Connery

School of Rock

After being fired from his own band, the guitar player Dewey Finn (Jack Black) needs to raise some money to pay for his rent and his bills. When his friend and school teacher Ned Schneebly (Mike White) is called to a temporary work in an expensive private school, Dewey pretends to be Ned and accepts the job. He finds talented young musicians in his class, and he decides to form a rock-and-roll band with the students and win a competition called "Battle of Bands" to raise the prize and be recognized in the show business.

This movie brought together everythign cool in the world of music and said here it is nomatter what the hell you think. I really dig that idea of blatant disregard for safety and the rules. If you get a chance to see this movie it fits Jack Black to a tee and you know sarah Silverman as a bitch is a good role for her. So check it out for the sake of the music. I give this movie a 9 out of 10.

Interview with a Vampire

In 1791, plantation owner Louis De Pointe Du Lac is unhappy with the life he has, until Lestat De Lioncourt comes into his life. Lestat, a vampire, allows Louis to make the decision of either death or life as a vampire forever. And until his decision is already made, does Louis realize what he has become. He refuses to take human life and is about to leave when Lestat, being the clever being that he is, turns a little orphan girl into a vampire to make Louis stay. The story is told by Louis in 1991 to an interviewer about the lives of himself, Lestat and Claudia through trouble, death, curse and love over the past 200 years.

I was intrigued by the idea of a vampire telling his story to a journalist and then actually getting to experience the story as it unfolds. It is a lavish tale of plague and death. I was very amused by the fact that he turned a girl(Kirstn Dunst) into a vampire as well. A good movie for women considering the main characters Louis and Lestat are played by Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise. This movie has the whole package and unless you aren't a vampire film fan then you should like this tale of a vampires life. I give it a 9 out of 10.

Reign of Fire

Quinn (Christian Bale) and Van Zan (McConaughey) struggle to survive the fiery attacks of dragons that had been set loose twenty years prior. It is 2020 and there is only a small remnant of humanity to carry on. Quinn is the leader of a castle that is just living on. Van Zan, the leader of an American group of dragon slayers, arrives at Quinn's castle. They kill a female dragon and then move on to London to kill the one and only male dragon. It fails and Van Zan returns to Quinn's castle. The male dragon tracks him down and attacks the castle, devastating it. After this happens, Quinn and Van Zan go to London to kill the male dragon. Van Zan is killed and Quinn successfully kills it, ending the Reign of Fire.

This movie was an awesome story and had a lot of ways it could go and i liked that. But they could have done so much more with it than they did. But all and all it was a decent movie but a let down in the plot department. I did however love the special effects and the acting of the parts that were given because christian bale with a strong accent is fitting. You should give this movie a watch if you are into sci-fi or just think that dragon's vs. technology is a cool idea. I gave this movie a 7 out of 10.

The Warriors

New York City. Home to 7,000,000 people, they work, play, and have fun by day. But at night the city is run by ruthless street gangs such as; The Furies, The Boppers, The Hi-Hats, The Lizzies, The Turnbull AC's, The Gramercy Riffs and The Warriors. One night at an all gangs meeting, the leader of the Riffs, Cyrus, makes a speech and creates a plan to unite all the gangs of the city. One gang strong enough to overpower the police. But suddenly he is shot and a gang called The Warriors are framed by Luther, leader of the Rogues. Now they have to return to Coney Island, escaping from 20,000 policemen and 100,000 sworn enemies. They got one way out. They got one chance. They've got one night. The Warriors.

This movie has been a favorite of mine since i saw the first time on tv and ecer since i have loved it. It is about the strength of one small gang to fight their way back to their home without getting killed because of someone elses doings. I just love the fact that as you watch it you are really transported back to the late 70's when new yourk city was really a shithole and everyone knew that the gangs were everywhere. The music in this movie really sets the tone and the fact that it's an entire cast of nobodis makes it even cooler. I give this movie a 9 out of 10. If you see this movie wait till you hear the part when some one says" Warriors come out and play, Wwwwaaaarrrriiiiooorrrssss come out and pppllllllaaaayyyyaaayyyy!!!!!! you will remember that part forever its hilarious.

PCU

A high school senior comes to visit Port Chester (aka Politically Correct U) for the weekend, and the admissions department mistakenly sets him up to stay with Droz (Jeremy Piven), a seven year student and party-animal who lives in The Pit, the most offensive house on campus. After trying to pawn the pre-freshman off on his housemate (Jon Favreau), Droz sets off on his normal daily activities including disrupting a political protest by throwing meat at a group of vegan protesters. The President of the University then receives a number of complaints, and with the help of her lackey (superbly portrayed by David Spade), she may finally have the power to kick Droz's house off campus. But the Pit throws an all-campus rager where George Clinton and the Parliament Funkadelic performs, and everything might turn out alright if the various political groups can forget their protests for one night and just have fun together.

This movie will make you laugh and think what the hell is wrong with these people. But if you've ever done some crazy wacky pranks in your life than you can relate to these guys and gals. I don't think anyone knew Jeremy Piven or Jon Favreau till this movie came out and not so much after either but it got them a little bit of coverage and one of my personal favs of all time. Heay a movie with david spade and no chris farley that is actually funny and yes chris farley was still alive when this movie was made. I have to say this movie wasn't the best made movie ever btu it has a certain flavor to it that you don't see in most movies today. Plus anytime you get george clinton and parliament funkadelick to be in your movie you have a winner. I give this movie a 9.5 out of 10. See it once and you will understand.

The Shawshank Redemption

After the murder of his wife, hotshot banker Andrew Dufresne (Tim Robbins) is sent to Shawshank Prison, where the usual unpleasantness occurs. Over the years, he retains hope and eventually gains the respect of his fellow inmates, especially longtime convict "Red" Redding (Morgan Freeman), a black marketeer, and becomes influential within the prison. During his stay he changes the lives of those in his circle of friends and gets them better treatment from the guards and other inmates.

When i first saw this movie ears ago i was taken aback by the depth of it not only the story itself but how the actors forced you to care about them. I thought there were a few great scenes in the movie especially when they explain what happens to the characters after they are gone. I rate this move a 10 out of 10. If you can see this movie and tell me its not a great movie then something has died inside of you so go to the doctor.

Pan's Labyrinth

In 1944 fascist Spain, a girl, fascinated with fairy-tales, is sent along with her pregnant mother to live with her new stepfather, a ruthless captain of the Spanish army. During the night, she meets a fairy who takes her to an old faun in the center of the labyrinth. He tells her she's a princess, but must prove her royalty by surviving three gruesome tasks. If she fails, she will never prove herself to be the the true princess and will never see her real father, the king, again.

When i first saw this it was in the theater and i was a bit standoffish because im not a subtitle kinda guy. As the movie progressed i got a little more into by the moment. Once i got used to reading the whole time it got really interesting and kind of odd but in a good way. It seems that even though this is like a huge fairytale with real world actions involved that the fantasy of it was creepy and awkward enough for me to get into it. I ended up liking this movie quit a bit. I rate this movie a 7 out of 10. Hey if you don't mind reading during a movie check it out, and even if you don't want to read all of it the awkward parts will get your attention.

Tigerland

In September 1971, a platoon of recruits arrives in Ft. Polk, LA, for infantry training before leaving for war. The final week takes place in Tigerland, a swamp similar to Vietnam. Jim Paxton has enlisted; he wants to experience everything and write books later. He befriends Roland Bozz, a cool Texan with a gift for getting into trouble and for helping misfits get discharges. At least one sociopath in the platoon hates Bozz, even as the sergeants grudgingly recognize his leadership abilities. As the platoon heads into its week in Tigerland, Paxton's body gives out, Bozz makes plans to go AWOL, and the sociopath gets hold of live ammo. Is vietnam as bad as this?

This movie brought a new perspective to the whole vietnam training scenario. I never thought about the war from a legal stand point. I liked it a lot because it really dove into the fear that a man feels while being faced with going to war and how people handle the pressures of those around them. I give this movie an 8 out of 10. Check it out if you want a twist on war movies without seeing the war.

Smokin' Aces

In these interlocking tales of high stakes and low lifes, Mob boss Primo Sparazza has taken out a hefty contract on Buddy "Aces" Israel (Piven)--a sleazy magician who has agreed to turn state's evidence against the Vegas mob. The FBI, sensing a chance to use this small-time con to bring down big-target Sparazza, places Aces into protective custody-under the supervision of two agents (Reynolds and Liotta) dispatched to Aces' Lake Tahoe hideout. When word of the price on Aces' head spreads into the community of ex-cons and cons-to-be, it entices bounty hunters, thugs-for-hire, smokin' hot vixens and double-crossing mobsters to join in the hunt.

I felt that this movie could have used a little more shooting and less love story. HAHAHAHA I'm just kidding this movie was an action megafest from start to finish. The entire story was interesting. The only thing that i couldn't understand is that if all the hitmen and hitwomen were the top people than how did they not know one another even just a little bit. To me that was hard to believe. The way the movie was put together though made up for the small discrepancies that you might be able to pick out. I liked it as a whole so i give this movie an 8.5 out of 10. If you are into action than this movie is for you.

Gangs of New York

As waves of immigrants swell the population of New York, lawlessness and corruption thrive in Manhattan's Five Points section. After years of incarceration, young Irish immigrant Amsterdam Vallon(Leonardo DiCaprio) returns seeking revenge against the rival gang leader who killed his father. But Amsterdam's personal vendetta becomes part of the gang warfare that erupts as he and his fellow Irishmen fight to carve a place for themselves in their newly adopted homeland! Along the way he meets a Jenny (Cameron Diaz) who herself is aligned with the murderer of his father a Mr. William "Butcher" Cutting (Daniel Day Lewis). Most of the men in high points of power and some aligned with Butcher are former members of Amsterdams fathers gang, The Dead Rabbits. Amsterdam plans to get close enough to Butcher as he will not expect his right hand man to be plotting against him.

I really liked this movie a lot more than i thought i would when i first came across it. The acting is done very well especially by Lewis and DiCaprio. he rest odf the characters are placed well amongst the stars as to complement them nicely. The only downfall this movie really had was the length of it becuase it runs damn near 3 hours long. So unless you have the time to invest in this movie it might not be for you. But if you have the time it is a very good movie. I rate it a underated 8 out of 10. Thats only because you might have to watch it in two installments and that ruins it for me sometimes. All in all its worth the time to me so check it out.

Boondock Saints

rish brothers Connor & Murphy MacManus live and work in Boston. Feeling that God's will to rid Earth from all human Evil was given to them as a mission, they set out to do their divine deed. A public outcry is never heard, and even FBI agent Paul Smecker, who follows their trace of bloodshed, admits that the boys are doing exactly what he secretly always has wished to happen. Risking their lives for their beliefs of Veritas (truth) and Aequitas (justice), the Boondock Saints are hyped by the public, for they are doing good, which only few dare to admit. The two brother's decide that they should relieve the world of the scum of the earth. They allow a friend of theirs to join in and help them on their quest of destruction.

I love this movie to death. The characters will make you laugh and some will make you think. The bartender at their favorite joint is hilarious with his turrets. The crowning achievement of this film comes from the acting of Willem Dafoe who plays agent Smecker and is also a homosexual. The way this movie comes off is not only witty but funny as hell. I give this movie a 9.5 out of 10. Check this movie out as soon as possible. You will ot regret it.

Babel

4 interlocking stories all connected by a single gun all converge at the end and reveal a complex and tragic story of the lives of humanity around the world and how we truly aren't all that different. In Morocco, a troubled married couple are on vacation trying to work out their differences. Meanwhile, a Moroccan herder buys a rifle for his sons so they can keep the jackals away from his herd. A girl in Japan dealing with rejection, the death of her mother, the emotional distance of her father, her own self-consciousness, and a disability among many other issues, deals with modern life in the enormous metropolis of Tokyo, Japan that is literally the size of the state of California. Then, on the opposite side of the world the married couple's Mexican nanny takes the couple's 2 children with her to her son's wedding in Mexico, only to come into trouble on the return trip.

I thought this movie was gonna be really cool because of all the story lines entangled to build one story. I figured it would be confusing until the end when all the stories would come together and we would get every aspect of it. To my dismay the stories collided but not in a good way. I was left confused about why the hell they spent so much time with the japanese girl when her father wasn't really all that fucking important to the story line itself. I can understand the rest of the stories and their importance all the way through. So why did everyone hype this movie? Was it because of Brad Pitt being in it or Cate Blanchett because she was decent but he was just ok in this movie. I hate to say it but why did anyone even care about this movie that much. I mean it wasn't aweful but it wasn't good great either. I guess if I had to rate this movie it would get a 5 out of 10. So see it or not but don't let anyone tell you it's great and you have to see it. If they do tell them to cram it you have something better to do( like wash your car, mow the lawn, Scratch your ass, etc.).

Pi

Max is a genius mathematician who's built a supercomputer at home that provides something that can be understood as a key for understanding all existence. Representatives both from a Hasidic cabalistic sect and high-powered Wall Street firm hear of that secret and attempt to seduce him.
They use money, power and brutallity to try and convince him that they should have the secret before anyone else.

To be brutally honest this movie is basically about the different religions believing that the number of Pi(3.14 etc.) is the key to discovering the meaning of the torah, bible, koran, and even the teachings of any other religion on earth. This movie is entirely in black and white but with camera angles and quick shots it really messes with your mind. I advise any partakers in alcohol or any drugs to not watch this while high. IT WILL BREAK YOUR BRAIN. This movie kept me thinking about life and the extremes into which we go to understand ourselves and the world around us. I gave this movie an 8 out of 10. Go and see it and be weirded out for yourself.

Flags of Our Fathers

In February, 1945, one of the fiercest battles of the Pacific theater of World War II occurs on the tiny island of Iwo Jima. Thousands of Marines attack the stronghold maintained by thousands of Japanese, and the slaughter on both sides is horrific. Early in the battle, an American flag is raised atop the high point, Mount Suribachi, and a photograph of the raising becomes an American cause celebre. As a powerful inspiration to war-sick Americans, the photo becomes a symbol of the Allied cause. The three surviving flag raisers, Rene Gagnon, John Bradley, and Ira Hayes, are whisked back to civilization to help raise funds for the war effort. These three men are thrust into a life of basic sevitude to a cause they believe in but don't feel they are the ones to be given this honor alone. These men must find it within themselves the tenacity to keep the chirade alive without haing themselves.

When i first started watching this movie i was real excited about the story itself and the cinematography was incredible. The farther i got into this movie the more i saw of the side of the war that didn't really interest me at all. I understand that this is basically what happened but at the same time i was yearning for more war scenes and less salesmanship. I still liked the movie as a whole but was a little let down by it. I rate this movie a solid 7 out of 10.

If you like war movies that are true stories than this is the movie for you but if you just want to see the action of the war then only half of this movie is for you.

Clerks

Dante Hicks is a clerk at a local convenience store in New Jersey. On one particular Saturday morning, he gets called in on his day off. Once there, he must deal with multiple problems. The shutters outside won't open. His ex-girlfriend, whom he is still in love with, is getting married. His girlfriend, who bugs him about starting college, has revealed certain, uh...stuff about her past. His boss hasn't come in to take his place. He has a hockey game at 2 o'clock. Another ex has died, and today's the last day he can go to her wake. He must deal with customers that aren't so intelligent. His friend, Randal, a clerk at the video store next door, is even less dedicated to his job than Dante, and is always bothering Dante's customers. And the biggest problem of them all: HE'S NOT EVEN SUPPOSED TO BE THERE TODAY!

This is one of my all time favorite movies about life and how we cope with all the stupid crap that comes up everyday. Yes it is a bit farfetched that all this would happen in the same day but hilarious that it does. The thing that gets me is that the movie was made for a film school project and had such a big following that they made it into a full length feature film. What i really liked was the comraderie between Dante and Randal and how they interact on such a deep level even though they are talking about complete horseshit for most of the movie. I guess it just reminded of me and my friends when i was in high school.

The other side of this movie is the relationship between two pot headed drug dealers one who can't keep his mouth shut and the other one that never seems to open his pie hole. The two I speak of are Jay and Silent Bob and they end up in every installation of the director Kevin Smith's movie series. I implore you to gve this movie a shot especially if your tired of the same old big budget crapfest. I rate this movie a 9.5 out of 10. If you haven't seen it yet run don't walk to the video store and at the very least give it a rent cause your probably gonna end up buying it.

Shaun of the Dead

Shaun is having many problems in life. His long-time girlfriend has dumped him due to their almost-daily expedition to Shaun's favorite pub, the Winchester. His temporary management job isn't going well at Foree Electronics, with his subordinates not even giving him the time of day. His deadbeat flatmates, Pete and Ed, are at each others' throats. And, oh yeah, London is overrun with multitudes of zombies. In the midst of this, he must save himself, Ed, his ex, his mom, and his precious record collection. There is a time when a hero must rise...from his couch.

This film was everything i could have hoped for in a zombie movie spoof. I got a kick out of the hilarious antics they went through as they smashed in zombie skulls and talked about everything that wasn't important to the situation along the way. The only part that bugged me was that it had a slow start, but lucky for us after that it was great to the end. I rate this movie an 8 out of 10.
If you like scary movies and want to laugh while you watch one here is the movie for you.

Willow

In the dungeons of the castle of the evil Queen-sorceress Bavmorda, a prisoner gives birth to a child who, according to an ancient prophecy, will put an end to the reign of the Queen. A midwife saves the child from the wrath of Bavmorda, but is forced to throw her cradle in a river when reached by the Hounds of the Queen. The river brings the child near a village of nelwyns, and little Willow finds and adopts her. When the Hounds reach the village, Willow begins a difficult journey to bring the baby back to her people and to fulfill the prophecy. In the this time of a war torn world the littlist hero will arise.

Willow was an incredible adventure from start to finish and i hate to say it but having dwarves as heroes put this movie over the edge. It was an amazing story done in a fun way to make you feel like if they could do this that you can do anything. I wish there had been more movies like this when i was younger. Val Kilmer played a cool character that when i first saw it i wasn't expecting. I like him as a jerk with a heart deep down inside. So if you ever get a chance you should check willow out. I rate this movie a 8 out of 10.