Film: Shutter Island

GENRE: Mystery/Thriller/Drama

RATING: R for disturbing violent content, language & nudity

RUNTIME: 2 hour and 18 minutes

STARRING: Leonardo DiCaprio (The Departed),

Mark Ruffalo (Zodiac), Ben Kingsley (Elegy)

DIRECTOR: Martin Scorcese (Cape Fear)

WRITERS: Laeta Kalogridis (Pathfinder, Alexander)

PLOT: A US marshal investigates the disappearance of a murderess who has escaped from a hospital for the criminally insane.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS:

1 A skillfully shot film. The camera movement and angles are creative, creepy and captivating. Of course, I expect that from Scorcese. The visual effects, lighting and cinematography of the dream sequences are also masterfully done.

2 Leonardo DiCaprio does amazing work. He keeps you connected to his character through his wide range of emotions. The squinty eyes get a little distracting a times though. Ruffalo and Kingsley also give wonderful performances.

3 It’s weird but the plot is both predictable and complex at the same time. I think I’ve seen too many movies where I don’t get shocked at revelations anymore. Book of Eli’s twist was far better.

4 The movie runs a little too long and slow at times. The beginning and end are well paced but three-quarters in I was a getting sleepy from all the talking.

5 Some of the music was a little overdone. When our main characters are approaching the hospital/prison we are so bombarded with suspenseful music, it's almost laughable.

RECOMMENDATION: DVD (so you can pause)

UPCOMING REVIEWS: Oscars, Alice in Wonderland

Film: The Book of Eli

GENRE: Action/Drama/Sci-Fi

RATING: R for some brutal violence

RUNTIME: 1 hour and 57 minutes

STARRING: Denzel Washington (Man on Fire),

Gary Oldman (Air Force One), Mila Kunis (Max Payne)

DIRECTOR: The Hughes Brothers (From Hell)

WRITERS: Gary Whitta (newcomer)

PLOT: A post-apocalyptic tale, where a lone man goes west to protect a sacred book.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS:

1 Being a Christian, I was impressed with the religious overtones in this film. I love how they unabashedly talk about the power and the importance of the Bible.

2 This film is beautifully shot. The camera has this mesmerizing flow to it. The clouds in the background, the silhouettes when Denzel is killing people, the dusty roads. All good.

3 There is definitely some brutal violence in this film. Denzel is pretty handy with his machete, but Washington’s performance trumps the gratuitous mayhem. There are plenty of slower, reflective moments in this movie.

4 You can’t help but think of Mad Max and The Road Warrior when watching this film. And Gary Oldman reminded me of Mickey Roarke’s bad guy role in Enrique’s Hero music video.

5 Some of the product placement was a little silly. Apparently, GMC and Motorola outlasted the apocalypse. The KFC moist towelettes instead of soap was fun, though.

RECOMMENDATION: DVD (It’s almost out of theatres)

UPCOMING REVIEWS: Shutter Island

TV: Chuck

GENRE: Action/Comedy

DAY&TIME: Monday 8pm

NETWORK: NBC

SEASON: Three

STARRING: Zachary Levi (Less Than Perfect),

Yvonne Strahovski (newcomer) Adam Baldwin (Firefly)

SHOW RUNNERS: Chris Fedak (newcomer)

& Josh Schwartz (The OC, Gossip Girl)

PLOT: Computer geek has his brain filled with government secrets and now must hide his secret identity as a spy from family and friends.

GENERAL THOUGHTS: This show is just really fun. We know the main characters will survive but that’s okay. Lots of laugh + spy action = good times.

FIVE WAYS CHUCK HAS IMPROVED:

1 Giving Chuck enhanced spy abilities is pretty cool. Even cooler when it doesn’t always work and he has to fumble out of the situation.

2 Love having Awesome in on the secret. Even better seeing how bad he is at the spy stuff. Especially the lying.

3 Having Casey stick up for Chuck a little more has been a nice change of pace.

4 Like the new love interests. Hope they stay so we can keep Chuck and Sarah apart for a little while longer.

5 The Ring has been a pretty good evil organization for Chuck to infiltrate. Although I would like to see a bit more mythology developed.

UPCOMING REVIEWS: Shutter Island, Damages

Film: The Lovely Bones

GENRE: Drama/Fantasy

RATING: PG-13 for some violent content and language

RUNTIME: 2 hours and 15 minutes

STARRING: Saoirse Ronan (Atonement),

Mark Wahlberg (The Happening)

Stanley Tucci (Julie & Julia)

DIRECTOR: PeterJackson (Lord of the Rings, King Kong)

WRITERS: Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens and

Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings)

PLOT: A murdered girl watches her family and her killer deal the aftermath of the horrific incident.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS:

1 Stanley Tucci is really creepy as the suspected killer. Didn’t know why they had to go so far as to give him the perv pedophile mustache. Tucci steals this movie.

2 Some of the images shown in the afterlife are really amazing. I found I was more captivated in the beginning rather than the end of the film, however.

3 Enjoyed watching relative newcomer Rose McIver as the sister trying to solve the murder. Some nice work, very suspenseful. Loved her last scenes.

4 I didn’t like how they didn’t spend more time on the parents relating as a couple. They focus on Wahlberg and then all of sudden the marriage is in turmoil. Some more conversation between the parents would have been nice. I also thought they should have included a little more on the emo girl who can sense Susie. Her and potential boyfriend Ray are given an introduction then ignored and then brought back in at the end. Sloppy storytelling.

5 I have no problem with the fact that this film didn’t depict the rape as described in the book. I thought it was just as effective this way without being gratuitous. For some reason, people complained about Jackson leaving out the rape, but you know if he put it in the movie, people would have complained that he showed the raping of a young girl. I guess you just can’t win sometimes.

RECOMMENDATION: DVD (HD for some images)

UPCOMING REVIEWS: Chuck, Shutter Island

TV: Superbowl Commercials

Just a quick Superbowl Commercial edition. I’m happy the Saints won. The second half was much better than the first half. Being in Canada, I got totally screwed out of seeing the cool new commercials. Thank goodness there’s the internet. Here are my top 5, in no particular order.

FIVE FAVOURITE SUPERBOWL COMMERCIALS

1 Bud Light - Asteroid: Loved that they got the scientist from Lost in the commercial. Fun stuff.

2010 | Super Bowl Ads | SPIKE.com

2 Budweiser – Human Bridge: Loved the town getting involved. Liked the tire tracks on the back.

2010 | Super Bowl Ads | SPIKE.com

3 Doritos – Funeral: What an odd final request. Enjoyed the friend helping him out.

2010 | Super Bowl Ads | SPIKE.com

4 Audi – Paper or Plastic: Like the absurdity of the Green Police. Great last line.

2010 | Super Bowl Ads | SPIKE.com

5 Volkswagon – Punch Buggy: Neat concept. Reminds me of my childhood. Great stevie Wonder cameo.

2010 | Super Bowl Ads | SPIKE.com

Honorable mention: Bud Light – Plane Crash: Loved the Lost references

2010 | Super Bowl Ads | SPIKE.com

TV: Lost

GENRE: Drama/Sci-Fi/Adventure

DAY&TIME: Tuesday 9pm

NETWORK: ABC

SEASON: Six

STARRING: Matthew Fox (Party of Five),

Josh Holloway (newcomer) Terry O’Quinn (Alias)

SHOW RUNNERS: Damon Lindelof (Crossing Jordan)

& Carlton Cuse (Nash Bridges)

PLOT: Survivors of a plane crash deal with a mysterious remote island that messes with time and space.

GENERAL THOUGHTS: This is the best show on TV in my opinion. It keeps you guessing and theorizing and doesn’t dumb things down. Great cast, great acting, great visuals and great mythology.

FIVE QUESTIONS I WANTED ANSWERED:

1 What is the significance of the numbers 4 8 15 16 23 42? Hope it’s not just a neat thing to look for in episodes.

2 Why were these people chosen (how are they connected)? I’m thinking Christian Shepherd has something to do with it. But why?

3 What is the Black Smoke? Sure it’s a security system but it also judges people and who controls it?

4 What’s the deal with Richard and Desmond? Why does Richard never age and why is Desmond so important with his time-traveling skills?

5 Who is Jacob and the “Man in Black”? I hope they give the Man in Black a name (like Esau or something). Why does everything seem to hitch on these two individuals.

UPCOMING REVIEW: The Lovely Bones