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.

Warrior

Warrior is a 2011 action drama directed by Gavin O'Connor. The film stars Tom Hardy, Joel Edgerton and Nick Nolte. The film revolves around two estranged brothers, who join a Mixed Martial Arts tournament to win 5 million dollars. One brother is a loner and former Marine and the other is a physics teacher with a family. Nick Nolte plays their father who is a recovering alcoholic who is trying to rebuild his relationship with his two sons.

First off, the plot itself is very cliched and recycled. The plot definitely isn't that unique. The thing about the film is that it doesn't really matter because everything else is done very well. The acting is very top notch and the fight sequences are very realistic. It is also very emotional driven for a movie with so much fighting and action. If you are a fan of MMA and the UFC, you will like it but it has enough other qualities besides the fighting that anyone can enjoy.

Super High Me

Super High Me is a 2007 documentary about marijuana use on the body. The documentary stars comedian Doug Benson and is similar to the 2004 documentary about eating Mcdonalds, Super Size Me. In the film, Doug Benson is a casual marijuana smoker and decides to take a 30 day break before smoking marijuana all day for 30 days to see if it takes a toll on his body. During the cleansing period and during the marijuana use period, he goes through physical and mental tests. The film also shows how medical marijuana works in California and interviews with activists, medical marijuana dispensary owners and politicians.

The film gives viewers a glimpse into how medical marijuana works in California. It shows how people really need this medicine and how the government cracks down on patients, even though they obviously benefit from it. This documentary has a lot of comedic parts but also has some serious parts. It was interesting to see how constant marijuana use did not do anything to Doug. It makes you question why marijuana is even illegal in the first place, at least for medical reasons. I really enjoyed this documentary and if you have any interest in medical marijuana culture, you will enjoy it also.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is a 2010 comedy directed by Edgar Wright. The movie is based on a graphic novel series of the same name. It star Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Kieran Culkin. The film follows a young musician, as he falls in love with a girl and must defeat her "seven evil exes" before he can begin dating her. The film has a video game/comic book style and look to it.

This movie did really badly at the box office when it first came out which is really a shame. It is a shame because it was a very fun film to watch, at least for me. It made me laugh and the visuals really struck me. There are plenty of video game style fight sequences that will make action fans happy. I can see where some of the jokes might go over the heads of older generations but if you are under 30 this movie should make you laugh. The jokes can seem a bit juvenile but it really works in this case. It was definitely one of the funniest movies I've seen in a while.