Most Anticipated: The Raven

25. The Raven (R) - Runtime: 110 minutes
Starring: John Cusack, Alice Eve, Luke Evans
Director: James McTeigue

I had really high hopes for this movie. When I first heard about this movie - I thought it was going to be a really cool thriller where Edgar Allen Poe lives out his last dies sinking into madness - believing that a killer is out to get him. I had just finished reading the novel Drood, a story about Charles Dickens last days who becomes obsessed with this mysterious man named Drood. Alas, my hopes were set too high - this movie was a HUGE let down. While John Cusack does a good job playing the part - there was just too much suck in this movie to recommend.

The story starts off well enough - someone gets killed and the police chief comes to find out that it resembles one of Edgar Allen Poe's deadly stories. At first suspicious of Poe, he finally realizes that Poe isn't the killer, but is just the inspiration and recruits him to help with the investigation as more gruesome murders occur under the guise of Poe's stories.

Unfortunately the movie does a piss poor job of re-creating these death scenes from Poe's fiction, with the exception of the first double murder. One guy gets killed by this swinging axe that keeps lower itself - he soon gets cut in half and supposedly it's a take on the Pit and the Pendulum? It's possibly the dumbest murder scene I've seen in a long time and the CGI blood doesn't help. The rest of the murders (actually now that I think about it, there's one more murder - LAME) aren't shown and have no real connection to Poe. So basically the whole movie loses it's steam after the first scene. I found myself not caring whatsoever about what's going to happen.

And I found myself not caring about Poe himself. Cusack does a good job acting as Poe - but dear god, his character is probably one of the most pretentious twats I've seen on screen this year. His first appearance in the movie is him drunkenly stumbling around the bar, berating the customers for not knowing who he is. You'd think he'd grow as a character and learn to be not such an ass, but he does this throughout the whole movie. The movie tries to make him more sympathetic and quirky by giving him a pet raccoon, but it ends up being a weird distraction that adds nothing to his character.

And then the movie itself is just boring a dull and somewhat confusing. This is solely the director's fault - because I had to rewind the movie twice to figure out what the hell just happened. There's one scene where Poe's insufferable girlfriend gets kidnapped, but I didn't realize this until the next scene when everyone's scrambling around trying to find his girlfriend. I skipped back to see what I missed, but you don't actually see her get taken away - one second she's dancing with Poe and the next chaos ensues and you hear Poe scream "Emily!" and then the movie jarringly cuts to the next day. There's more scenes like this in the movie that I scratched my head at, wondering what just happened.

While this movie had a lot of potential to be a really good psychological thriller, instead it lowers itself to a really awful made-for-tv serial killer movie. And you know what? You're better off watching the TV show Castle, because at least that show knows how to keep you invested in the mystery. The Raven should have been at least a good movie, but fails to even rise to the level of mediocrity.

Rating: Avoid Like the Plague!

Most Anticipated: Looper

2. Looper (R) - Runtime: 118 minutes
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis, Emily Blunt
Director: Rian Johnson

Easily my favorite movie this year, Looper offers a compelling time-traveling story that blends into a thrilling action movie and at times morphs itself into a compelling, taught drama. Back when I wrote my most aniticipated list, Looper fell was number 2 simply for two reasons: Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Rian Johnson. JGL has blown up in the past year, thanks to an amazing streak of great movies - (500) Days of Summer, Inception, 50/50 and The Dark Knight Rises. He's a versatile actor and also one of the few actors I'll throw down my money to see, regardless of what movie he's in. And then there's Rian Johnson, a director who I really think is going to blow up after this movie. Brick is hands down one of my most favorite movies and I'd recommend it to anyone who has a love for movies. His second film Brothers Bloom didn't get as much love, but it's still a good movie. But with Looper, Johnson delivered his best film yet.

I won't go into too much detail because part of the fun of the movie is discovering how everything unravels, but the gist of it is that JGL plays Joe, a hired gun who takes care of the mob's future hits. Time travel has been invented thirty years from when the movie takes place and Joe makes sure to kill a body that technically doesn't exist. But things get complicated when they send back Joe's future self to be killed by young Joe. Obviously old Joe escapes and all hell breaks loose.

The movie does a great job at selling the time travel premise. Instead of spending the whole movie trying to figure out the logic, the time travel takes a backburner to the action and character development. The only other time travel movie that does this right is 12 Monkeys - a fantastic drama that doesn't make a big deal out of the time traveling shenanigans but instead focuses on creating some great characters and drama. Johnson isn't worried about the setting too much as he is about what happens to young Joe when he's being hunted down by his bosses while trying to hunt down his old self.

There's some fantastic performances in this movie - Willis is usual bad ass self, but JGL proves once again he can act - and do a good Willis impersonation (although Maggie says Bruce Willis should be the one who should have changed his face to match JGL). Emily Blunt shows up about halfway through the movie and proves her chops as a single mother living day to day on a farm. But the absolute standout of the movie is Pierce Gagnon, who plays Blunt's enigmatic son. This kid's got some issues and is an absolute terror at times. His performance is simply amazing.

As for the setting - I loved that the film went in a direction I wasn't expecting. Instead of showing us how the world has evolved with technology - the better part of the film takes place on a low-tech farm. It's a surprising - and refreshing - contrast to the gritty urban and Blade Runner-esque vibe of the city from the beginning of the movie. Johnson did a great job of making the world feel lived in and gritty. Johnson is surely on his way to becoming a great director and he has a keen eye for creating some great stories.

This is my favorite movie this year, no doubt. From the setting to the characters, to the wonderful performances, Looper doesn't confine itself to just being a science fiction film. It's more than that and you'd be doing yourself a disservice if you didn't go see this movie right away!

Rating: See It!

Most Anticipated: The Master

39. The Master (R) - Runtime: 137 minutes
Starring: Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Joaquin Phoenix
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson

I absolutely love PT Anderson. I thought There Will Be Blood was the best movie from 2007 and should have won Best Picture over No Country for Old Men (a fantastically great movie, too!). So I was eagerly awaiting his next masterpiece, The Master. The hype surrounding this movie was immense - was this movie about Scientology? And how would Joaquin Phoenix fare, back from his fake retirement? At the time I was watching this movie, I felt immediately betrayed - this wasn't the movie I thought was advertised. In fact, throughout the whole movie I was feeling bitter about the direction it was taking and how slow it was going. But after a day or two and reading more and more about the movie (thankfully The Daily Dish had an exceptional ongoing discussion about the movie), The Master has grown on me. I really did enjoy it, I just didn't realize it at the time.

The movie focuses on Freddie Quell, a veteran of WWII and a lazy drunkard who will find pretty much anything to quench his thirst (at one point there's a flashback to his naval days as he unscrews one of the bombs to get the fuel out so he can drink it). He's a man who only has two things on his mind: sex and booze. One night he stumbles onto a boat only later to be found out by Lancaster Dodd (such great names!), a man who has founded a worldview (basically a cult) that tries to pursue a higher state of being for mankind - The Cause. On the boat, Dodd finds a faithful companion to help him further his goals. The movie slowly (and I mean slowly) follows these two around as Freddie tries to learn from the Master while Dodd himself is trying to gain more validation in the world.

The movie doesn't focus too much on Dodd's Cause, however, one of the best scenes in the movie revolves around Dodd's processing procedure. In this scene, Freddie is asked questions and he cannot blink or hesitate and if he does, the questioning starts over from the beginning (they are as common as what's your name? to have you slept with anybody from your family?). We see him stumble and fail, but immediately get back to answering the questions. It's a compelling scene - Dodd trying to pull something out of Freddie that Freddie does not want to give up. Credit PTA for making this part so riveting. I was frozen in my chair the whole time.

The acting is superb - Joaquin Phoenix is enigmatic - he mumbles and stammers through his lines which is annoying at first, but you understand who the character is much better because of it. And Hoffman is superb - you don't quite understand how this man became this powerful and has everybody under his spell until the scene where he's dancing around singing and clapping. Freddie just sits in the back, watching it all happen and imagines all the women in the room naked. The movie is chock full of this sexual deviancy and there is enough to interpret the movie as sexual fantasy/empowerment.

In fact there's a ton of layers that can be peeled away at the movie - there's a lot to dissect and after watching the movie I recommend reading this small article at Vulture on five different interpretations of the movie. It's incredibly riveting stuff and I highly recommend any movie lovers should watch this. It's a great showcase for some powerful acting and directing. It's truly a bizarre movie that needs to be chewed on for a while and possibly seen a second or third time to really unwrap the whole package.

This is a movie that moves slowly and if you're looking for more of a thrilling drama that dishes on Scientology, this movie is not it. It's a character study and a well-directed film that raises more questions than answers. I won't be surprised if the movie earns a ton of Oscar nomination - it's most definitely deserving of it. I wouldn't call it my favorite movie this year, but it's one of the year's best, no doubt.

Rating: See It!

Most Anticipated: Total Recall

13. Total Recall (PG-13) - Runtime: 118 minutes
Starring: Colin Farrell, Jessica Biel, Kate Beckinsale
Director: Len Wiseman

If you're thinking about how much you loved the original Total Recall, you can just forget about that movie in this remake. This movie stays closer to the original story it's based on and does not take place on Mars at all. To be quite honest, I found this refreshing. Too many times a remake tries to play it safe by just recreating the movie. Unfortunately, the new Total Recall doesn't quite make the impression that the original did.

Colin Farrell plays Douglas Quaid, a simple man leading a simple life until he visits Rekall - a place that injects new memories into your brain. Of course, Quaid supposedly turns out to be a rogue government agent whose memory was wiped and this whole Rekall experience messes with his head. Is he really just living out a fake memory or is there something more sinister afoot? The movie actually does answer this question almost too straight forward. I was hoping for more ambiguity to the ending, but, alas, this is just your standard run-of-the-mill action flick.

So if you're just looking to pass some time with some cool action and CGI, then Total Recall fits the bill. Everything else in the movie is a bit of a mess. From the ho-hum plot and characters that you really could care less about to the bland sets and world - Total Recall doesn't exactly give you reason to notice it. Which is really too bad - this movie had a lot of potential, but it plays it safe and just delivers an action flick without any thought to it.

As for the cool parts? Kate Beckinsale is insane in this movie. She's just there to kick some ass, and she does it very well! I enjoyed her role very much, but there was way too many wife jokes in the movie. Because Kate plays Doug's fake wife, the movie goes out of its way to make sure you know this in every scene  ("I give good wife" was one of the worst lines I've heard all year!). Jessica Biel is the woman helping Doug escape and take down the evil President (played by Bryan Cranston - who should have had more screen time!) and she's somebody I could have cared less about.

The movie does have some great action scenes - the car chase particularly comes to mind - and it's an action flick I would recommend if you're just looking to pass the time. However, there's been better action movies and better science fiction movies lately that this one just gets lost in the shuffle.

Rating: Not Worth Paying For!

Sunday Night Trailer Review: Lincoln

I love trailers. So much in fact, they're my favorite part of going to the movies. Well, aside from the movie itself. It's the idea of what a trailer is selling; what the movie can be about. it's the reason why I do my most anticipated list. In my mind, Terminator Salvation and Transformers 2 were some of the greatest movies ever, according to their trailers. I almost had to change underwear when the six minute long trailer for Cloud Atlas went online. These people really know how to sell a movie (well, maybe not this movie)! Some trailers are just plain awesome and others can be so generic, fill-in-the-blanks moments that you can tell someone was being lazy cobbling together the trailer. And so without further ado, we dive into the Spielberg-directed Lincoln:

Most Anticipated Roundup!

Okay, I've been away for a while and I've actually seen a handful of movies! So instead of giving a long spiel of why I enjoyed/hated movies - there's a quick paragraph summing everything up! Quick and dirty is how I like it here!

The Raid: Redemption

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Most Anticipated: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days

50. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days (PG) - Runtime: 94 minutes
Starring: Zachary Gordon, Robert Capron, Devon Bostick
Director: David Bowers

Yes, this movie was on my most anticipated list. I decided to give this series a shot last year and I really, really enjoyed both movies. Rowley is by far one of the greatest kid characters to ever grace the silver screen. The actor, Robert Capron, does such a great job of creating this sweet, naive and dorky kid that you can't help but smile whenever he's onscreen. Dog Days is another great addition to the series and it's just as good, if not better, than the other two movies.

Whereas the first two movies dealt with Greg's relationship with his best friend Rowley and then with his brother, Rodrick, Dog Days focuses on Greg's father, Frank. Played by one of the most underrated actors in Hollywood, Steve Zahn - Frank Heffley walks a fine line between Homer Simpson-like buffoonery and Ward Cleaver-like wisdom. I liked the story they told and how Greg comes to really enjoy his father's company. The movie never spends too much time indulging in the cheesefest of father-son relationships. This is mostly a comedic film and I found myself laughing hard at times.

There's a lot of different stories/characters happening in the movie so it's hard to remember all the great stuff I enjoyed. But I dug Greg's weekend getaway with Rowley's parents. Rowley's parents border on serial killer status, which I thought was hilarious! There's a scene where they all want to get ice cream and instead of getting 3 separate cones, all three flavor scoops are on one cone, which Rowley and his parents enjoy licking together. It's gross but immensely funny - most of the movie is this way and I applaud the execution.

I found this third movie to be the best because of the aforementioned storyline of Greg connecting to his father. It just felt authentic and real. Plus there's just more funny jokes and Steve Zahn gets more screen time which is always a plus. I've enjoyed every movie in this series and by far this one takes the cake.

It may not be the best coming of age story, but Dog Days is filled with a ton of laughs and it's really, really fun. You can take your mom to see this and you won't have to worry about awkward sex scenes or filthy jokes that only you laugh at while your mom looks on disapprovingly. I highly recommend this one!

Rating: See It!

Most Anticipated: Wrath of the Titans

33. Wrath of the Titans (PG-13) - Runtime: 99 minutes
Starring: Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson, Rosamund Pike
Director: Jonathan Liebesman

I don't think I was as harsh on Clash of the Titans like a lot of other people were (it currently has a 5.8 user rating on IMDb). It was highly entertaining and provided "Release the Kraken" into mainstream culture (that phrase may have jumped the shark, but it's still a pretty good line to use for jokes!). So for all of its flaws, you can't deny it had some good action. And when the movie did major business, it was no surprise that a sequel was in the works. I'm grateful that this sequel tanked at the box office because that means we won't be seeing another unnecessary sequel, but it's not like I didn't have fun with this movie. In fact, I think this movie was superior to the original in a number of ways.

The movie follows Perseus once again. This time having forsaken his birthright as a god and deciding to lead a normal human life, Perseus is called into action. When Hades strikes a deal with his titan father Kronos, all hell will literally break loose. And it's up to Perseus to fight for the gods and for humanity. It's a very simple plot with the action driving most of the movie forward. There isn't as many iconic moments like the last film had - no cutting off Medusa's head or Kraken bashing, but what the movie lacks in inspiring action scenes it makes up for in character development.

Yes, you heard me, characters actually have an arc and I really liked how the story was told. Perseus has another journey to go through - one of acceptance of his place in the world and one of being a father. And Zeus and Hades finally come to accept each other as brothers and smoke a peace pipe and sing Kumbayah. It doesn't really get that heavy; after all this is just an action movie, but it was a nice change of pace. Nobody's going to win any acting awards, but everyone did a nice job and Bill Nighy gets to make an appearance and ham it up for twenty or so minutes.

The action was all around solid and I really enjoyed the prison realm of Tartarus. If only the movie had more of these moments I might have enjoyed the film more. Like the first movie, Wrath limps to the finish. There's something anti-climactic about how they've filmed the last battle. It's similar to Clash where Perseus has to ride a Pegasus to confront a giant beast (in this case, Kronos) but the way it's done, I was yawning - just like last time! You're left wondering, "That's it? Hell, I could do Perseus' job for him." When the audience is having these thoughts, maybe it's best you rewrite the ending so at least it seems challenging. In no sense did I really think Perseus as a god - he just stabs things and flies into things. Big deal, I can do that if I had a Pegasus.

The biggest misstep is Andromeda. It's not like her character was unnecessary, but they throw in this romantic angle and at the end Perseus kisses her which comes out of nowhere! Woah Woah Woah, Perseus, you horndog! Just because Miss Andromeda looks good in a suit of armor, does not mean she's asking you for some tongue wrestling. I know us men can read the wrong signals, but chain-mail is not Ancient Greece's answer to the modern day thong. That "romance" scene is completely random and there's really no indication there was some sort of connection between them. Just because there's a good looking woman in the movie doesn't mean she needs to hook up with the lead dude. I was really bummed they decided to go there.

Whatever, this movie was okay. I'm not going to see it ever again, that's for sure. But I had fun watching it. If you at least enjoyed the first movie, you'll end up enjoying this one. It's not a memorable movie, but it's a fun action flick that doesn't wear out its welcome.

Rating: Rent It!

I think I'm taking crazy pills!

Let's just start off by teasing my #4 most anticipated film (formerly known as Kathryn Bigelow's Untitled Osama Bin Laden Movie)

Now before y'all start complaining about how disappointed you are in this trailer, let me remind you this is a teaser. Of course this is only going to just give you a hint of what's to come. Hell, they even got to read classified documents in order to make the movie better. You think the producers are just going to throw all the cool shit into the teaser five months before the movie is out? Hell no! This film only has intensified my curiosity for this movie!

Onto some more somber news: Yet another movie has been pushed back. It's been announced today that The Great Gatsby (AKA Baz Lurhman Messes with an American Classic) has been moved from December 2012 to Summer 2013. Uhhhnnnn, this is the eighth movie to have been pushed back. I don't know why the movie gods have cursed me this year, but thankfully 2012 has been filled with a ton of great movies to fall back on. Seriously, I haven't been this satisfied with the first seven months of the year since 2008 when The Dark Knight and Iron Man stole the summer. I have to use more than two hands to count how many movies I've enjoyed this year - from The Dark Knight Rises to Friends With Kids to 21 Jump Street - it's been a fantastic year so far. And now we're slowly creeping up to Oscar season - the time of year when studios start to really pimp out their quality stuff in front of the Academy much like roosters do in order to get laid. And what better way to celebrate the Oscar mating season than by pimping PT Anderson's new flick, The Master!

39. The Master

Starring: Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Joaquin Pheonix

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson

Release Date: September 2

I really, really believed that PTA's last movie, There Will Be Blood, was the best movie of 2007. I don't know what it is about that movie, but I was completely enthralled. Maybe Daniel Day-Lewis had something to do with it, but the direction in that movie was flawless along with all that beautiful acting. And although PTA hasn't done a whole lot of movies in his long career, they've all been must-see movies whether you love them or hate them (ask anybody what they think of Magnolia and they'll certainly have an opinion on it!). So I am certainly thrilled to see another PTA production, but the movie's plot was too vague by my tastes (and are still a little bit) for me to warrant a spot on my original list. But now there's a couple of teasers out and the plot seems a little more comprehensible so here were are. Basically Hoffman plays an L. Ron Hubbard (Scientology!) type figure who starts a religion and brings a drifter (Pheonix) under his wing as his second-hand man to help spread his message. It sounds like Anderson might be covering similar territory and themes from There Will Be Blood, but I'm already fascinated to see how he handles these characters that I'm pretty certain I want to see this right away. This is most definitely Oscar bait - but the Academy might have too many active Scientologists to warrant a nomination, so we'll shall see!