Arthur Kipps (Daniel Radcliffe), a widowed lawyer whose grief has put his career in jeopardy, is sent to a remote village to sort out the affairs of a recently deceased eccentric. But upon his arrival, it soon becomes clear that everyone in the town is keeping a deadly secret. Although the townspeople try to keep Kipps from learning their tragic history, he soon discovers that the house belonging to his client is haunted by the ghost of a woman who is determined to find someone and something she lost… and no one, not even the children, are safe from her vengeance.

I am not a big fan of horror films.  I think they are so dumb!  I normally go into horror movies and make fun of them because they are so lame.  I do have to say that the trailers for The Woman In Black intrigued me.  The main thing that made me want to see it was the fact that it was Daniel Radcliffe’s first post-Harry Potter role.  The trailer looked so scary too!  I was excited to see it.

The Woman In Black is honestly the scariest movie I have seen in a long time!  My friend and I were pretty scared the whole entire film.  I will be honest, I watched most of the movie with my hands over my eyes, peeking through my fingers.  Events in the movie had me constantly jumping out of my seat!  The ending was also unexpected.  It is not the ending you normally see in a typical ghost movie.

The film pretty much had to be carried by Daniel Radcliffe.  He did a fabulous job.  In many of the intense moments in the film, there is no dialogue.  Daniel Radcliffe’s reactions to the chaos going on around him is what moves the film forward and make you freak out even more.  Not once in this movie did I think about Daniel being Harry Potter.  He was the character, Arthur Kipps, in this film and he did it well.

I honestly do not know if I will ever watch this movie again.  It scared me so bad!  If you are a horror film fan, The Woman In Black is definitely a movie you should probably check out. 

The Woman In Black gets bragging rights!

The Woman In Black in now open in theaters.  It is rated PG-13.  For more informaiton about The Woman In Black, you can visit the film’s official website.

An ex-cop and now wanted fugitive (Sam Worthington) stands on the ledge of a high-rise building while a hard-living New York Police Department negotiator (Elizabeth Banks)tries to talk him down. The longer they are on the ledge, the more she realizes that he might have an ulterior objective.

I was excited to see Man On A Ledge.  I am a fan of both Sam Worthington and Elizabeth Banks.  That was enough to get me there.  I did think that the trailers and advertisements for this movie made it look very intense.  In addition, I was curious to see how they could make a full length movie about a man standing on a ledge.  I will admit, Man On A Ledge was definitely a crowd pleasing movie.

This movie is just not about a man standing on a ledge.  Without spoiling too much, Sam Worthington’s character, Nick, is a distraction for a robbery that is happening at a building not far from him.  Some of the major plot points in this movie were very predictable but there were a few moments that definitely surprised me.  The climax of the movie was something that I did not expect.

There were a couple of moments that did scare me a bit.  I am really short in real life and heights scare me.  Seeing over the ledge from Nick’s point of view was sometimes a bit unnerving.  There was one point in the movie that the crowd of people are yelling for Nick to just to jump.  I hope people in New York City are not that mean!  I would never yell at someone to jump.

My favorite part of this movie was Elizabeth Banks’ performance of the police negotiator.  In my opinion, she stole this movie from Sam Worthington.  I was always looking forward to when she would be back on the screen.

This weekend, if you are looking for a fun, action packed movie, Man On A Ledge would be a great choice!  Overall, I had fun watching it!

Man On A Ledge is rated PG-13.  It opens in theaters today.  For more information about the movie, you can go the film’s official website.

1944. To help win the war, the Pentagon brass has no choice but to consider the untested African-American pilots of the experimental Tuskegee training program. Just as the young Tuskegee men are about to be shut down and shipped back home, they are given the ultimate chance to show their courage. These intrepid young airmen take to the skies to fight for their country – and the fate of the free world.

I really did not know much about this movie when I was asked to preview it.  I knew that George Lucas was a producer and that it was about fighter pilots.  When I got to the theater and found that it was about the Tuskegee Airmen, I was excited to see it.  This is a story that has not been told on film before.  It is about time that the story of these brave men was done on film.

In my opinion, this is a more mild war film.  It is not gritty and harsh like Pearl Harbor.  I would compare it to more of the feeling you have watching Top Gun.  There were some very funny moments in this film.  Many of the characters in the movie have such fun personalities and had me smiling several times during the film.  The action moments in this movie was great.  They really put you into the action during the many aerial sequences in the movie.

As I was watching this movie, it was definitely a crowd pleaser.  The guys behind me were commenting the whole movie about how awesome it is.  I think that this is a movie that most men, and hopefully, most women will enjoy as well.  If you like action movies with pilots and planes, this is a movie for you!

Red Tails in now playing in theaters.  It is rated PG-13.  Make sure to check out the film’s official website for more details about the movie.

Oskar (Thomas Horn) is convinced that his father (Tom Hanks), who died in the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center, has left a final message for him hidden somewhere in the city. Feeling disconnected from his grieving mother (Sandra Bullock) and driven by a relentlessly active mind that refuses to believe in things that can’t be observed, Oskar begins searching New York City for the lock that fits a mysterious key he found in his father’s closet. His journey through the five boroughs takes him beyond his own loss to a greater understanding of the observable world around him.

I still remember where I was on September 11th.  I arrived home from an early morning high school sports practice and my mom told me that a plane had hit the World Trade Center.  I do not remember much of school that day.  The teachers finally gave up on their lessons for the day and turned on the televisions to let us watch this horrible event in American history unfold.  Although it has been 10 years, September 11th is a tough subject to discuss.

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close is a very well acted movie with amazing visuals.  Many people are interested in seeing this movie because of Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock.  This is not their movie.  They are hardly in it.  This movie belongs to Thomas Horn, who plays Oskar.  This young boy was fantastic in this movie.  Oskar is a very socially awkward character.  Many things frighten him.  During the movie, you really get into his mind.  Noise and sights are amplified.  This would be a very difficult character to portray and Thomas Horn does well at it.

I will say, this movie was very difficult to watch.  September 11th really affected so many people.  What made this different from the others is that you are seeing this horrible event and its aftermath through the eyes and experiences of a child.  This is a point of view we have not seen done on film until now.  Take a lot of tissues to this movie and plan on needing some ice cream at the end.  This movie is very sad.

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close opens in theaters nationwide starting today.  The film is rated PG-13.  For more information about the film, you can go to the film’s official website.

“The small town of Pacashau, Georgia, has fallen on hard times, but the people are counting on the Divinity Church Choir to lift their spirits by winning the National Joyful Noise Competition. The choir has always known how to sing in harmony, but the discord between its two leading ladies now threatens to tear them apart. Their newly appointed director, Vi Rose Hill (Latifah), stubbornly wants to stick with their tried-and-true traditional style, while the fiery G.G. Sparrow (Parton) thinks tried-and-true translates to tired-and-old. Shaking things up even more is the arrival of G.G.’s rebellious grandson, Randy (Jeremy Jordan). Randy has an ear for music, but he also has an eye for Vi Rose’s beautiful and talented daughter, Olivia (Keke Palmer), and the sparks between the two teenagers are causing even more heat between G.G. and Vi Rose.”

I love musical films and I love Queen Latifah and Dolly Parton.  I was very excited to see this movie!

The music is this movie was fabulous.  All of the musical numbers were top notch.  The actors that sing in this film had amazing voices.  Going in, I know that Queen Latifah and Dolly Parton had amazing voices.  I was surprised how great the voices were of the two teenage leads, played by Keke Palmer and Jeremy Jordan.  I loved all the gospel music in this movie and it was also fun to see their take on modern songs, such as, Man in the Mirror.  This is a soundtrack I plan on purchasing soon.

The chemistry between Queen Latifah and Dolly Parton was great.  These two together provide some of the funniest moments of the film.  Their chemistry was great.  My sister, the audience, and I were laughing pretty hard during these moments in the film.  Queen Latifah and Dolly Parton also had some great dramatic and emotional moments moments during the story as well.  Some tough and difficult topics are present in the film.  This movie is not just a comedy, it has many dramatic and heart tugging moments that can be applied to the world today. 

My one complaint about this movie is that it did have some really cheesy and corny moments.  Most of this moments are meant to be taken seriously but they were laughable.  Just be prepared for this as you are watching the movie.

Overall, my sister and I had a great time watching Joyful Noise.  I think that the music was fantastic and makes the film worth seeing.

Joyful Noise gets bragging rights!

Joyful Noise is in theaters now.  It is rated PG-13.  For more information about Joyful Noise, you can visit the film’s official website.

“Set against a sweeping canvas of rural England and Europe during the First World War, War Horse begins with the remarkable friendship between a horse named Joey and a young man called Albert, who tames and trains him. When they are forcefully parted, the film follows the extraordinary journey of the horse as he moves through the war, changing and inspiring the lives of all those he meets-British cavalry, German soldiers, and a French farmer and his granddaughter-before the story reaches its emotional climax in the heart of No Man’s Land. The First World War is experienced through the journey of this horse-an odyssey of joy and sorrow, passionate friendship and high adventure.”

Ever since I saw its first trailer, I have been very excited to see War Horse. I am a big fan of Steven Spielberg films. I had hope that this movie would be fabulous. After viewing War Horse, it definitely lived up to my expectations.

The acting in this movie was excellent. I liked that there were not ‘big name’ actors. My favorite was Jeremy Irvine’s performance of Albert. Through the whole movie, you are hoping that someday, he and his horse will be reunited.  This and the other performances really help the audience to connect with the horse, Joey, in this movie. Without this connection, the movie would be a failure. This is not the case with this film.  By the end, I had a connection with Joey as much as I had with the human characters in the film.

I will admit that sometimes this film is hard to watch. It really reminds people how horrible World War 1 really was. There is a great deal of violence in it. It was not necessarily the war violence that was difficult to watch because I was expecting it. What was hard to watch is that many horses are injured or killed during battles re-enacted in the film. For me, these were the most intense moments.

Overall, this movie was a beautiful and inspiring film to watch. Spielberg once again has done a fabulous job. I would not expect anything less from him. If you are looking for a great movie to see this Holiday season, War Horse is one that should not be missed. I hope to see it winning some awards in the next couple of months!

War Horse gets bragging rights!

War Horse is rated PG-13 and opens in theaters on Sunday, December 25th. For more information about the film, you can visit the movie’s official website.

Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) has always been the smartest man in the room…until now. There is a new criminal mastermind at large-Professor Moriarty (Jared Harris)-and not only is he Holmes’ intellectual equal, but his capacity for evil, coupled with a complete lack of conscience, may actually give him an advantage over the renowned detective. When the Crown Prince of Austria is found dead, the evidence, as construed by Inspector Lestrade (Eddie Marsan), points to suicide. But Sherlock Holmes deduces that the prince has been the victim of murder-a murder that is only one piece of a larger and much more portentous puzzle, designed by Professor Moriarty. The cunning Moriarty is always one step ahead of Holmes as he spins a web of death and destruction-all part of a greater plan that, if he succeeds, will change the course of history.

I was very excited to see Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.  I absolutely loved Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law in the last film.  I was excited to see what thrilling adventures they would be involved with this time around.  I was not disappointed, I loved this movie!

In my opinion, once again, Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law make this film.  Their chemistry together playing off of each other is exciting and excellent.  That is how Holmes and Watson need to be played.  They are fabulous together.

Just like the first film, I really like how the filmmakers had slow motion moments to make things more noticeable and make you pay attention.  I love how it looks.  Also, I really enjoyed the film score by Hans Zimmer.  The music once again was its own character in the film.  My cousin and I really enjoyed how they had references to the Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.  If you are a fan of the stories, you will have fun picking out the references they have made.

Sherlock Holmes:  A Game of Shadows is a great movie!  I recommend it!

Sherlock Holmes:  A Game of Shadows gets bragging rights!

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is rated PG-13.  It opens in theaters today.  For more information about the film, you can visit the film’s Official Website.

J. Edgar explores the public and private life of one of the most powerful, controversial and enigmatic figures of the 20th century. As the face of law enforcement in America for almost fifty years, J. Edgar Hoover (Leonardo DiCaprio) was feared and admired, reviled and revered. But behind closed doors, he held secrets that would have destroyed his image, his career and his life.

I was excited to see this movie.  I really enjoy most of Clint Eastwood’s films and I was very excited to see Leonardo DiCaprio as J. Edgar.  I wanted to see if he could pull it off.

The best part of this movie was definitely DiCaprio’s performance as J. Edgar.  He definitely transformed himself for this character.  I really believed that he was Edgar.  I think that there is a very good chance that Leo has finally won his Academy Award for this role.

I thought that the other supporting actors did well.  This movie is loaded with remarkable actors.  Judi Dench, Naomi Watts, and Armie Hammer give excellent performances as well.  I thought that the makeup used in this movie was pretty good for the most part.  I could hardly recognize Leo when he plays a significantly older Edgar.  Sometimes though with some of the supporting characters, I felt that the makeup was a bit of a hinderance to their acting.

I am also really picky when I watch rated R movies.  I do not watch them very often.  This movie’s R rating for brief strong language is really that.  The language is very brief.  There are certain rated R curse words and this movie uses one of those twice.  I really did not think it was necessary to use the word.  There is also some sexual content but nothing that would be over a PG-13.

Is J. Edgar the best biopic movie ever made?  No, but Leonardo’s performance makes this movie worth watching at some point.  His performance is terrific!

J. Edgar opens today in theaters.  It is rated R for brief strong language.  For more information, you can go to the movie’s Official Website.