Vanilla Sky

Vanilla Sky (2001)
Starring: Tom Cruise, Penelope Cruz, and Cameron Diaz
Directed by: Cameron Crowe
SC=7 V=5 C=6
Grade: B-

This isn't exactly an enjoyable movie...at all. A lot of Tom Cruise's movies are cool, action flicks that are fun to watch...this movie does not fall into that category. David Aames (Cruise) is a wealthy publisher. He's dating Julie Gianni (Diaz), a famous actress. But, one night at a party, he meets the mysterious and beautiful Sofia Serrano (Cruz) who came to the party with his best friend Brian Shelby (played by Jason Lee). But Sofia hits it off with David right away. After they talk all night, he leaves, both of them feeling like there could be something real between them. As David is walking to his car, he is approached by Julie, who has been feeling like he doesn't love her anymore and tells him that all she wants to do is talk. As she drives, it becomes clear to David that she has gone crazy and he tries to get her to stop the car. But, the reason she wanted to go for a drive becomes clear when she launches the car off a bridge, killing herself instantly and disfiguring David permanently. As time goes on, David withdraws more and more from the world. After trying to see Sofia again, she agrees to go out with him. When he shows up at the bar and sees that she brought Brian along, seemingly to protect her from David, he gets aggravated and gets into a fight with both of them, after which he passes out on the street. The next morning, Sofia comes to get him and they go home, after which they officially become a couple. As the story goes on, it is revealed to the viewer that David is telling his story to a psychiatrist named McCabe (Kurt Russell) because he is in prison for murdering someone. David has to try to convince McCabe that he didn't commit the murder, which is harder than it seems because of David's creepy prosthetic mask...

The Silence of the Lambs

The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Starring: Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, and Scott Glen
Directed by: Jonathan Demme
SC=7 V=10 C=6
Grade: A+

This is one of those films that people "just have to see". Finally, I did. It's extremely scary and very gory at parts. But overall, very good and definitely keeps your interest. Clarice Starling (Foster) is in training at the FBI Academy. One day, she is sent in to talk to Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Hopkins), a psychiatrist turned cannibal, in prison. The FBI needs his help to catch a new serial killer, Buffalo Bill (played very creepily by Ted Levine...Stottlemeyer...why?!). Buffalo Bill has kidnapped another girl, this time a senator's daughter, and Clarice is racing against the clock to find the girl before its too late. As Clarice talks to Lecter several times, it becomes clear that he not only knows more about Buffalo Bill than he's letting on, but he actually knows who he is and where he lives. But, of course, giving them the name would be too easy. Clarice must put together Lecter's clues and solve his riddles in order to find the correct house and person before Buffalo Bill takes another victim.

The Lost Boys

The Lost Boys (1987)
Starring: Jason Patric, Corey Haim, and Kiefer Sutherland
Directed by: Joel Schumacher
SC=6 V=9 C=6
Grade: A++

This is one of my favorite 80's movies. It's kind of a spoof on old vampire movies at some parts, especially the way people act when they get attacked by the vampires. Michael (Patric) and Sam (Haim) have just moved with their mother (Dianne Wiest) to the sleepy coastal town called Santa Carla, in California. They soon learn that Santa Carla is not as sleepy as it first appears and is actually called the Murder Captial of the World. As the brothers explore the town, Michael meets up with Star (Jami Gertz), a beautiful and mysterious girl that hangs out with David (Sutherland) and his creepy band of teenage criminals. As Michael starts to get in trouble with David and his friends, Sam meets the Frogg brothers, Edgar (Corey Feldman) and Allen (Jamison Newlander), who claim they are vampire hunters. In addition to Santa Carla being the murder capitol of the world, it is also full of vampires, who are responsible for most of those murders. The more Sam starts to hang out with the Frogg brothers, the more that he sees strange changes going on in Michael. After Michael almost attacks him one night, it becomes clear that Sam will need Edgar and Allen's help to get rid of the other vampires and help bring his brother back.

Cowboys and Aliens

Cowboys and Aliens (2011)
Starring: Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, and Olivia Wilde
Directed by: Jon Favreau
SC=4 V=8 C=6
Grade: A++

First of all, this movie has many great people involved. I've loved Daniel Craig ever since I saw him in the first James Bond movie he's made. Harrison Ford is just awesome. Han Solo and Indiana Jones??? Please. Olivia Wilde was good in Tron: Legacy and she was good in this, too. And Jon Favreau is a great director. I had high hopes for this film and the movie, by far, surpassed it. I enjoyed every minute of the movie and I wished it would have been longer. Jake Lonergan (Craig) wakes up in the middle of the desert and he doesn't remember who he is, why he's out in the middle of the desert, or why he has a strange bracelet like thing on his wrist. When he's brought into town, the sheriff (Keith Carridine) realizes that he's a wanted man and places him and a kid named Percy (Paul Dano) in a wagon to be transported to prison. But Percy's wealthy father, Woodrow Dolarhyde (Ford), shows up before they can leave and wants him released. Before they can do anything about it, giant glowing ships show up and attack the town, kidnapping a lot of people in the process. After the attack, the remaining townsfolk, including Jake, Dolarhyde, the town doctor and bar owner (Sam Rockwell), and a mysterious woman named Ella Swenson (Wilde), set off to find the missing people.

Sixteen Candles

Sixteen Candles (1984)
Starring: Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, and Justin Henry
Written and Directed by: John Hughes
SC=7 V=5 C=6
Grade: A+

This is one of the many classic 80's movies that I love. And, I swear, the best ones have Molly Ringwald. Probably because John Hughes put her in all of his movies and his movies are the best...anyway. This movie is about Samantha (Ringwald), who just turned 16. And although she's not popular and the boy she loves doesn't love her back, she has a feeling that this birthday is going to change everything. It starts out on a horrible note, however, when her entire family forgets her birthday. Her day gets worse at school when she fills out a test about who she has a crush on and the boy she answered accidentally gets it. When the question asked who she liked, she didn't even think about answering Jake Ryan (Henry), the most popular guy in school and totally out of Sam's league. But what she doesn't know is that he secretly likes her, too. He hasn't talked to her because he figured she doesn't like him. But after he sees the test, he thinks it might be possible. On the bus ride home, her birthday, yet again, gets even worse when Sam is ambushed by Farmer Ted (Hall), also known as "The Geek", who is in love with her. After she blows him off, she heads home, after which many things happen, including having to hang out with a weird foreign exchange student, going to the school dance, and, just maybe, getting the guy. Also look out for both Cusack siblings (John as a friend of Farmer Ted's and Joan as a geeky girl), both of whom are extremely young in this film.

Die Hard 2

Die Hard 2 (1990)
Starring: Bruce Willis, William Sadler, and Bonnie Bedeila
Directed by: Renny Harlin
SC=5 V=7 C=8
Grade: A+

Is this one as good as the first? No. Is it still awesome? Heck yes. I only became a fan of the Die Hard series recently, but I love them so much. I've also never been a Bruce Willis fan, but I love him, too. Anyway, in this movie John McClane (Willis...yay!!) is picking up his wife Holly (Bedeila) at the airport when it is taken over by terrorists (led by Sadler). A dictator, who is in federal custody, is on a plane that is going to land at this airport and the terrorists want to be able to pick him up without resistance. The people at the airport also won't be able to talk to anyone in the many planes circling the airport, other than to tell them not to land just yet. If the people try anything, the terrorists will crash a plane. The bad thing, for the terrorists that is, is that Holly is on one of the planes in the air. And John McClane will make sure her plane will land, kicking a lot of butts on the way. Yay for violence! (Kidding...kind of...)

Pride & Prejudice

Pride & Prejudice (2005)
Starring: Keira Knightley, Matthew Macfayden, and Rosamund Pike
Directed by: Joe Wright
SC=2 V=2 C=1
Grade: A++ (If I could give more, I would)

This movie is AMAZING!!! The book is incredible and I would say this is one of my favorite adaptations. Keira Knightley is wonderful as Lizzie (I think it's her best role) and Matthew Macfayden is fantastic as Mr. Darcy (a very hot Mr. Darcy, might I add...especially considering Colin Firth played him once...eww...). Elizabeth Bennett (Knightley) is a clever girl who lives in a family where that is an uncommon trait. Five sisters, the beautiful and sweet Jane (Pike), the strong Elizabeth, the bookish Mary (Talulah Riley), and the immature Lydia (Jenna Malone) and Kitty (Carey Mulligan in her first movie). Their lives change drastically when a wealthy stranger named Mr. Bingley (Simon Woods) and his extremely wealthy best friend Mr. Darcy (Macfayden) come to town. While Mr. Bingley charms everyone with his friendly deameanor and sense of humor, Mr. Darcy immediately turns everyone off with his pride and contempt for anyone he considers below him. Mr. Darcy really has a problem when he begins falling for Lizzie, whom he considers below him and from a horrible family. When Lizzie finds out what he's truly like, she starts to fall for him too. The movie has beautiful scenery and cinematography. All of the performances are spot on, which makes this a movie you can watch over and over.

No Reservations

No Reservations (2007)
Starring: Catherine Zeta-Jones, Aaron Eckhart, and Abigail Breslin
Directed by: Scott Hicks
SC=3 V=4 C=3
Grade: A

I think Aaron Eckhart is a very underrated actor. He is great in everything he's in, as well as Abigail Breslin. Catherine Zeta-Jones is good, too. Kate (Zeta-Jones) is a chef in a New York restaurant, well known for being difficult to work with. When she gets a call from the hospital, saying that her sister and her niece were in a car accident, she is given custody of Zoe (Breslin). At first, they don't get along, Kate doesn't know what to do with a kid. When she's forced to take a few days off after a breakdown in the restaurant, a new chef is hired to help her. Nick (Eckhart) is the opposite of Kate in every way. When Kate starts bringing Zoe to the restaurant at night so she can watch her, the three bond over the restaurant. All three stars give very heartfelt performances, which is what makes this an enjoyable movie.

Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010)
Starring: Georgie Henley, Skander Keynes, and Ben Barnes
Directed by: Michael Apted
SC=1 V=7 C=1
Grade: A

This is my favorite book of the series, but it wasn't my favorite movie. I thought The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe was better, but that's probably because it had the Disney touch. This movie was a lot more dark than I thought it was going to be. But it was still good. Georgie is adorable as she always is and Skander and Ben were both very strong male leads. But who really surprised me was Will Poulter as Eustace, who I thought was excellent. Lucy (Henley) and Edmund (Keynes) are staying with the aunt and uncle, which means they also have to put up with their annoying cousin, Eustace (Poulter). To make everything worse, Peter (cameo by William Moseley) and Susan (cameo by Anna Popplewell) are off doing glamorous things in the States. But, all of this changes when Lucy, Edmund, and a very unhappy Eustace are transported to the magical land of Narnia through their aunt's painting. There, they board the Dawn Treader, which is captained by Prince Caspian (Barnes). They are searching for the seven lords of Telmar, who his uncle tried to kill before Caspian reclaimed the throne three years before. The lords where the closest and most loyal friends of his father's. They fled to the Lone Island and they were never seen again. While on the way to find them, they encounter dragons, dwarves, merfolk, and a band of lost warriors before reaching the end of the world.

Step Up 3

Step Up 3 (2010)
Starring: Rick Malambri, Adam Sevani, and Sharni Vinson
Directed by: Jon M. Chu
SC=5 V=4 C=4
Grade: A

This Step Up is awesome, but it's my least favorite of the three. Here's why: The guy (in this case, Rick Malambri) is likable and very good looking, but not as likeable as Channing Tatum or even Robert Hoffman, who, sometimes in the movie, comes across a little too cocky. The girl (Sharni Vinson) isn't as likeable as Jenna Dewan or as awesome as Briana Evigan, who is my favorite girl in any of the movies. The only thing this movie has that the others don't is Moose as a main character. He was in Step Up 2, but he's actually a main character in this movie. This movie also has Camielle, played by Alyson Stoner, and she's just awesome. The dancing in this movie also easily outdoes the first one and probably beats the second one as well. Luke (Malambri) runs a "house" for abandoned dancers, giving them a place to live and practice. When he meets Moose (Sevani), who is in town for college, Moose starts spending more time with the dancers and less time on his schoolwork. Coming into the group at the same time is Natalie (Vinson), a mysterious dancer also in need of a home. The two newcomers are just in time for World Jam, which is basically a larger version of The Streets from Step Up 2. After several events that put not only the house but the dancers in jeapardy, Luke must put together his old crew and win World Jam in order to save the house and the dancer's futures.