The Prestige

The Prestige is a 2006 mystery-thriller directed by Christopher Nolan. It stars Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman and Michael Caine. The film is about two rival magicians, who go to great lengths to out do the other magician. They both want to create the greatest magic trick. The film is an adaptation of Christopher Priest's novel of the same name.

If you enjoy movies with twists, this is the movie for you. It has multiple twists and after you finish watching you'll want to watch again to catch all the clues. The acting is spectacular and does not disappoint. The visuals are well done and captures the 19th century time period perfectly. The film does have a lot of twists and maybe hard to follow at times but is enjoyable.

American: The Bill Hicks Story

American: The Bill Hicks Story is a documentary film about a stand up comedian named Bill Hicks, who passed away in 1994 at the age of 32. He was never well known in mainstream America but has gained a cult following since his death. If you enjoy controversial comedians like George Carlin, you will really enjoy Bill Hicks. The documentary does an amazing job capturing his unique life. From starting comedy as a young teen to being diagnosed with cancer, he has a very interesting but short life. The documentary is very well made and utilizes still photos from his life with animation. Friends and family talk about Bill, while his stand up routines are played in between interviews. If you have heard of him and are a fan, this is a great documentary to watch to understand him more. If you haven't, you might be a little uninterested but it might make you a fan of him.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a 2011 spy drama. It has an ensemble cast including Gary Oldman, Tom Hardy, Colin Firth and John Hurt. It takes place in the 1970's and is about a Soviet spy in the British secret service. It is a adaptation of a novel of the same name written by John Le Carre.

First of all, the film is very slow paced. The slow pace might be a negative aspect to the some but the story should keep you interested. The acting is absolutely top notch. Every actor in this film does a very believable job. Gary Oldman is the lead and gives a brilliant performance as usual. It is very suspenseful and makes you try to figure out who is the mole until it is revealed at the end of the film. This alone kept me interested in watching this slow paced film. If you enjoy a good suspenseful spy film with amazing acting, you will enjoy this film.

Cabin in the Woods

Recently, I have yet to watch a new horror film that I really liked. This is all changed when I saw Cabin in the Woods.  Cabin in the Woods was released on April 13. It stars Chris Hemsworth, Anna Hutchison, Bradley Whitford and Kristen Connolly. Most of the cast are not household names, which is usually a good sign for horror movies. It was written and produced by Josh Whedon, who is directing the new Avenger movie.

The film looks like a typical slasher horror film. Five teens go on vacation into the woods and stay at a cabin. It has all the ingredients for a slasher film, until halfway through the film it is clear this is not the case. What makes this movie great is the fact it has a great twist at the end. It is hard to give a great review without giving the twist away. The twist really makes the movie enjoyable. The acting is terrible but in this case it works since most old horror movies have bad acting. The film is very gory, which is always good in a horror movie. Most horror movies these days are rated pg-13, which takes away from it being enjoyable. Cabin is rated R, and the gore really flows because of this. If you are a fan of horror movies and want to watch one with a great twist than this movie is for you.

Terminator 2

One of the few movies that can still hold up after 20 years is Terminator 2. The film came out in 1991 and is directed by James Cameron. It is the sequel to the 1984 science fiction film, The Terminator. Terminator 2 stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong and Robert Patrick.

The film takes place eleven years after the first film. Two Terminators are sent back in time. One is sent to kill a young boy who is destined to lead a human resistance army against artificial intelligence machines in the future. The other Terminator is sent back to protect the boy.

Even though the film is over 20 years old, the special effects were so advanced for the time that they still hold up well. The movie has a lot of great action scenes, but it also has a well written script. The film is very character driven and has very deep impacting dialogue. It questions whether a machine could ever be human. It does have a lot of violence but it is well done. This film is up there in my favorite films list.

Captain America

With the Avengers movie coming out soon, I decided to watch and review Captain America. Captain America came out in 2011 and stars Chris Evans, Tommy Lee Jones and Hugo Weaving. It was the final Avenger super hero film before the Avengers movie coming out this May. The film shows the origins of the Marvel superhero, Captain America.

If you enjoyed the other Marvel superhero movies like Thor and the Iron Man movies then you will probably enjoy this film. The film is very action packed, which is of course common place in super hero films. What gives this movie a unique aspect is that it takes place during World War 2. There is plenty of laughs in the film, which gives it more entertainment value than just action. The acting could be better but it is decent enough not to take away from the film. The fact the villains in the movie were nazi's, made you really root for Captain America to win the fight against them. It wasn't the best Marvel super hero movie, but it was definitely entertaining, especially if you are planning to see the Avengers movie next month.

Dracula (1992)

Dracula is a 1992 horror-romance film directed by Francis Ford Coppola. It stars Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, Anthony Hopkins and Keanu Reeves. It is another telling of Bram Stoker's classic story of Dracula. This adaptation of the story has some differences from others, such as Dracula having a love interest.

The film was very entertaining. It was shocking and gruesome in some parts but beautifully shot in other parts. The special effects were very convincing and still hold up 20 years later. What really makes this film a must watch is the acting from Gary Oldman as Dracula. I was amazed at how convincing he was as the count. Sadly, Keanu Reeves acting is absolutely terrible and really hurt the film because it was hard to watch him act. If you are a fan of the horror or the Dracula story, you will love this movie because for the most part it stays true to the book besides Dracula's love interest plot.