Sinister

I'm a huge fan of Ethan Hawk. I needed something a little more substantial than "Daybreakers," given that movie was mildly original (but awful and just another gay vampire movie). The opening of the movie sets the tone for a very dark film. It's such a one of a kind movie and full of obscure images. I found myself against this film before I saw it and now I believe that everyone should see it. It's a very mind bending experience, and the sound messes with your senses. See it

Paranormal Activity 4

I'm as guilty as everyone in the fact that tasteless horror is something I enjoy. The paranormal activity movies took what "The Blair Witch Project," tried and made a valiant effort. The movies are mildly boring but can pull the terror out of everyone. The movie isn't graced with amazing dialog or elaborate plot lines, but is filled with mystery and misery. Nothing makes people jump more than not being able to stop someone from going into a house, or having your screaming plea for them to turn around be unheard. It's a great movie for the season upon us, and the ending will have you leaning forward and staring at the madness unfold. I leave you with the only question I constructed after seeing it... "Paranormal Activity 5?"

Gus Van Sant

Finally, one of my personal favorite directors, Gus Van Sant (Good Will Hunting, Milk, My Own Private Idaho) is making another movie... with promise that is. After his flop "Restless," we have something to look forward to. I mean it, i'm totally fucking gay for his movies, not because he's a talented writer, because he hasn't wrote in years, but because he perfectly orchestrates scene to scene vision. everything about his direction keeps the movie moving forward. Cinematography, the acting, lighting etc. Don't believe me? watch Good Will Hunting. Seen it? watch My Own Private Idaho. Haven't seen it? yeah watch that shit. River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves play male prostitutes in between Seattle and Portland. But i digress, Promised Land. Matt Damon, John Krasinski, and Frances McDormand? this movie isn't fucking around is it? i don't think so. Comes out December 28th. fuck yes.

Adaptation

I rarely praise anything with Nicolas Cage in it. Raising Arizona would be one of his greatest in my opinion. But last night I was jus browsing through random movies and saw Adaptation. Not sure how this one slipped passed me. The movie is very self aware of it's existence, quite literally in fact. Brilliant writing on Charlie Kaufman's part whose fictional twin brother Donald, is also credited for writing. Kaufman (who wrote Being John Malkovich, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) throws very original dialog around in this movie. It's very slow at the beginning but picks up a little later. Cage has an excellent performance in this very original, not-so-Nicolas-Cage-Role. He performs a perfectly timed awkward man, with nothing going for him, struggling to write about a real book, The Orchid Thief. It follows Meryl Streep as a writer for The New Yorker, who wrote the book, in her dry existence meeting a man who is an orchid poacher. Chris Cooper in a very hillbilly way, pulls off this character. He teaches her about the subtle beauty in flowers and thats what the book is about. Cage struggles to put this together and finds himself discovering things about the author and the subject he didn't quite expect. The movie is very quirky, funny, and at times brutally dramatic. I would recommend this movie.

Se7en

This movie is pretty old, and it's not that popular. I encourage everyone to watch it. David Fincher puts a very well written script to life. Based on the seven deadly, sins this movie follows Detective Mills (Brad Pitt) and Detective Somerset (Morgan Freeman) as they travel through seven days of murders exemplifying the  seven deadly sins. This movie is a brutal, cold depiction of what kind of evil things can happen through the eyes of a madman. You can see glimpses of Pitt's acting ability and Freeman is sly in his hardened, seen everything detective. I wouldn't call it a Horror movie, but it's a very shocking ending. with a appearances by Gwyneth Paltrow and Kevin Spacey, this is a very well made movie.

Top Five Movies of 2012

5) The Amazing Spiderman - This seemed like a remake a little too soon. i'll be honest, I had no interest in watching Andrew Garfield play Peter Parker. But its spiderman, I HAD to see it. It stays much truer to the Comic book with a little bit of glamour. but you need a certain new age spin on it. I think we can all agree that Toby McGuire is a little less than the spiderman look. He was pretty good in the first one, the second one was just kind of like getting a hand-job... the third held no excitement at all. But back to my point, this is how the movie should have been made. Despite the absence of MJ and the replacement love affair with Gwen Stacy, played by the charming Emma Stone, the movie just holds together. 

4.) The Avengers - There isn't a single person in america that can say they have not seen The Avengers. This movie is packaged with all the hollywood product placement, make-up, multi million dollar sets and ridiculous hackneyed costume designs. But damn is this movie entertaining. It pulls you in with the action. The arguments of the different heroes is entertaining and comedic (thanks to Robert Downey Jr.). This movie lived up to the hype, it serves as a spectacle of how advanced technology in cinema is getting. You can argue that some of the movies leading to this one were a little terrible, some predictable and a very few were okay. Whatever. This is a great movie. 

3.) The Hunger Games - Gary Ross methodically and masterfully pulls this one off. Some Movies will never be as good as the books, it's a truth in many books that become movies. This was not as good as the book by any means, but it was very well done. The casting of this movie is what sells it. Jennifer Lawrence is no stranger to drama, She shows very good promise as a great actress, I believed her all through the movie. Her physical ability, her beauty and her skillfully portrayed fearful tragic girl caught in the middle was spot on Katniss. Josh Hutcherson is creating space between the child star he once was to a very "Leading Man" actor.  Throw in great performances from Elizebeth Banks, Lenny Kravitz, Woody Harrelson, Liam Hemsworth, Stanley Tucci, Wes Bentley and the one and only Donald Sutherland and you have a movie. A great movie at that.

2.) Moonrise Kingdom - Take a quirky plot and great actors and you have a genuine heart warming tale of two twelve year olds who fall in love and run away together. Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward are astonishing and perfect as Sam and Suzy. The cinematography is so abstract and vintage, the two just seem to dance all over the screen. This movie is an instant classic.  The story is a frenzy of a mess as everything falls apart after they run away together. Written and Directed so seemingly effortlessly by Wes Anderson, it's definitely Oscar worthy as far as Best Original Screenplay is concerned.... not to mention the big names such as Bruce Willis, Bill Murray, Edward Norton, Frances McDormand, Jason Schwartzman and Harvey Keitel all putting there spin on their characters in such a profound and silly way. The story is set in 1965 and wonderfully inventive. It's an honest and heartfelt movie. One of my personal favorites.

1.) The Dark Knight Rises - Well the end of Christopher Nolan's Batman Trilogy has come to a close, but went out with a bang... Literally. There isn't a bad thing to say about Christian Bale, he plays Bruce Wayne as a wounded helpless old man who rises from the ashes to save Gotham City. Bale does a good job playing the last minute hero. I did notice the elephant in the room in the movie... well, Tom Hardy. Hardy's Bane is just the thing of nightmares. Full of destruction, powerful, huge and god dammit scary as hell. Bane's voice is like a terrible echo in your mind of cruel thoughts, wonderfully acted. Anne Hathaway puts an interesting take on Catwoman, vengeful and full of deceit. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is magnificent as the lone wolf fighting for Gotham when all hope is lost. Michael Caine is great in the little bit of movie he is in, not to mention Gary Oldman, Marion Cotillard, Morgan Freeman, and Matthew Modine. The Dark Knight Rises is the best movie of the year.... So far that is. 

Movie of the Day

Timothy Olyphant and Katie Holmes (before the Cruise)

   The movie of the day is simply titled "Go". Written by John August and beautifully directed by Doug Limen, this movie is the shit. Drugs, guns, car chases, and a lot of people who are still in movies today. This gem came out in 1999. It doesn't seem to get as much praise as it should in my opinion. Watch this movie if you have not seen it. it throws a lot of pop culture of the time at you and in my opinion, theres nothing better than to see the temporary fads that failed. Please watch, excitement will follow.