The Cove

I knew this was going to be a sad movie to watch before I rented it. However, the trailer made it compelling to see.

The movie is extremely well put together. It has great footage of beautiful scenery, background information on who is involved and why, and an urgent sense of purpose.

Watch it and you won't regret it.

Winner of the Audience Award for Best Documentary at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, The Cove follows a high-tech dive team on a mission to discover the truth about the international dolphin capture trade as practiced in Taiji, Japan. Utilizing state-of-the-art techniques, including hidden microphones and cameras in fake rocks, the team uncovers how this small seaside village serves as a horrifying microcosm of massive ecological crimes happening worldwide.


The Cove exposes not only the tragedy of dolphin slaughtering in Japan, but also the dangerously high levels of mercury in dolphin meat and seafood, the cruelty in capturing dolphins for entertainment, and the depletion of our oceans fisheries by worldwide seafood consumption. We also see how the mandate of the International Whaling Commission has been manipulated by the Japanese Fisheries Agency for its benefit and its subsequent effect on the rest of the world.

Ladron Que Roba a Ladron

This is a foreign film in Spanish that is very similar to the Oceans 11 movie. In this case it would be called Ocean 7 since that is how many members composed the team. It is hard to believe this is a 2007 movie because it seems much older and dated.

Overall, it was a corny and predictable movie. You kind of hope it will be a good foreign film with something different from its Hollywood blockbuster copy. Unfortunately, it falls extremely short. It is too long for what it has to offer. The twists and turns they try to put into the storyline are nothing new.

The only difference in this movie from Oceans 11 is that 50% of the purse stolen is sent back to the people it was originally conned from (robin hood ending). Not truly an original ending but a complete story just the same.

The trailer was decent, the movie was OK, but if you want to watch one of these types of movies, don't watch this one. Instead, go for Oceans11, 12 or even 13. They are better made and much more enjoyable.

Netflix Summary:

A pair of reformed crooks team up to pull one more heist. Their target? Master con artist Moctezuma Valdez (Saúl Lisazo), a popular television infomercial pitchman who's gotten rich by swindling countless unsuspecting immigrants. The former thieves attempt to recruit some of their criminal cohorts to help pull off the plan, but when they refuse, the two turn to day laborers to participate in the elaborate robbery scheme.

Dao huo xian aka Flashpoint

This is a Hong Kong action thriller movie. I don't like to watch the dubbed movies and prefer to watch the movies in their native language and read the subtitles.

This movie doesn't disappoint. However, it is a karate action flick so you can not set your expectations to high. That said you will enjoy car chases, good cop bad cop stuff, and even a light love story.

The movie at times does seem long, but in the end there is a great martial arts choreographed ending that seems quite realistic. Needless to say it is well done. You can pretty much grab some popcorn and not worry about the plot. It is good guys vs bad guys with a Hollywood ending.

Netflix Summary:

Action masters Wilson Yip and Donnie Yen deliver nonstop martial arts thrills in this tale of triad gang warfare in pre-handover Hong Kong. Reckless Detective Ma (Yen) threatens the careful work of his partner, Wilson (Louis Koo), who's finally infiltrated a notorious triad gang. As the operation begins to collapse, Ma enters the fray to go one-on-one against the triad leader (Collin Chou) before he takes over the streets.

Mongol: The Rise of Genghis Khan

I was always curious about this famous conqueror I have read about. They have it on Netflix streaming so I thought I would give it a chance. Luckily for me the subtitles were available.

The movie is well done, the acting good, and the storyline may not be completely accurate, it gives a good recount of what may have happened. The effects were great and the filming of the landscape was very impressive.

I enjoyed the movie for what it is, even though it fell short of my expectations. If you like foreign movies, then I think you might like this too.

Netflix Summary:

In 12th-century Asia, an orphaned young slave named Temudjin (Tadanobu Asano) escapes from his captors' clutches and begins a journey that will lead him to become one of the greatest conquerors the world has ever known. Honglei Sun and Ying Bai co-star in this Academy Award-nominated epic from writer-director Sergei Bodrov, the first in a trilogy of adventure films relating the life story of Genghis Khan.

The Hurt Locker

This movie was very straight forward in its plot with 3 main characters. They are soldiers who help detonate bombs and we watch their journey in their tour of duty. The special effects were good, the acting was great, and the environment created was believable. Again, another movie highly rated and praised by Netflix users that misses the mark.

There was one major problem with this movie. The director allowed it to fall into the "Blair With Project" Stupid camera work. You know the kind that makes you vomit worse than the scariest roller coaster ride. By the way, I can take any roller coaster but this movie loses the potential to be a good movie. Frankly, based on the netflix reviewers, I had high expectations for this movie. By the end of the movie, I was just happy it was over.

I realized that the elements of a successful movie were there, but on top of being a long movie with retarded camera work, there were questions about the realism. Presenting a true reality seemed to be a goal of the movie, and in that quest it fails. The actions of some of the soldiers were just not believable.

I say pass on this movie and avoid the motion sickness. You would be better off watching Saving Private Ryan or Platoon. Those are both great movies. This movie The Hurt Locker is in Oscar contention but that is a mystery.

The movie trailer looked great but the movie didn't live up to its expectations. The trailer is better than the movie.

The Hurt Locker - Trailer

Netflix Summary:

Kathryn Bigelow directs this gripping drama (nominated for three Golden Globes) following one of the U.S. Army's elite EOD (explosive ordnance disposal) teams operating in the ferocious war zone of Iraq. As the squad identifies and dismantles improvised explosive devices and other bombs, they must also contend with the frayed nerves and internal conflicts that arise from living in constant peril. Ralph Fiennes, David Morse, Guy Pearce, Jeremy Renner and Anthony Mackie star.

Gamer or Citizen Game

What happens when you put the star of Dexter's Michael C. Hall, the star of 300's Gerard Butler, and throw in a famous rap star Chris Bridges aka Ludacris? You get this futuristic gaming movie called Gamer. The question is does it succeed?

For me I had low expectations because the preview looked dumb. I could tell this would be a bad movie. However, it has people I like from Dexter and 300, so maybe there was the possibility it could be at least entertaining.

The technology was good, the storyline was fair, and it even had a happy Hollywood ending. Did I like it? No. Did I hate it? No. What I recommend it? No I wouldn't. I would think you would be better advised to watch Dexter season 1,2,3 or 4 or 300 if you really want to be entertained.

Gamer - Trailer

Netflix Summary:

It's 2034, and humans can control and kill each other in a large-scale online gaming world. But Kable (Gerard Butler), a wrongfully convicted soldier forced to join the violent competition, tries to free himself by taking out its evil architect, Ken (Michael C. Hall). While being controlled by a rich kid (Logan Lerman), Kable must also save his wife, Angie (Amber Valletta), who's trapped in her own avatar world.

Gloomy Sunday

My wife picked this foreign movie from 1999. We usually try to watch the newer stuff, but this movie got great reviews from some other netflix users that have "similar" tastes as us.

The movie was great and takes place during the Nazi invasion and the Jewish Holocaust. You can read about the plot on the internet, but I think if you haven't seen it or heard about it, you should just watch it and form your own opinion.

The movie was interest enough that I googled it after watching it and then realized this is based on true events. Although wikipedia mentions that the suicides could be urban legend stuff or a marketing ploy.

If you like foreign movies and don't mind subtitles, then I highly recommend watching this movie.

Fifth Commandment

Yes, another karate action movie. What can I say, they are my weakness. Unfortunately, like I said in my last review, most action movies show the best parts in the trailers. Unlike the last movie, this movie was a disappointment.

The plot is dumb but not really necessary in these types of movies when you have good fight sequences. For me the best action scene was in the trailer. How sad! I hoped it would get better, but it didn't. The female lead in was annoying and reminded me of a fake Jennifer Lopez.

I may be influenced by the previous movie I saw Ninja Assassin, but these movies should be able to stand on their own. I like to watch these action movies over and over, but this will not be on the list. I can't recommend this one because it just misses the mark.

If you need a karate action fix, go for Ninja Assassin, Kill Bill 1 or 2, Crouching Tiger, Bloodsport, any Jet Li movie or the classic Bruce Lee's Enter the Dragon.

THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT: Movie Trailer - Watch more top selected videos about: THE_FIFTH_COMMANDMENT, Keith_David, Bokeem_Woodbine, Rick_Yune, Dania_Ramirez, Roger_Yuan, Jesse_Johnson

Ninja Assassin

I love karate action movies and the trailer looked good. Unfortunately, most times they show all the good stuff in the previews. This particular movie did not. It actually looked good and the movie itself was a great action movie.

With most karate movies, there isn't really much of a plot. The action for me anyways determines whether it was worth my time or not. This particular movie had a decent plot and great effects in the action scenes. Not quite like Kill Bill but just as fun.

So grab some popcorn and get ready for action. This is one of those movies you can walk in on and start watching anytime. You just enjoy it for what it is.

Ninja Assassin - For more of the funniest videos, click here

Big Fan

You may have noticed I watch a lot of movies of all sorts. I especially like foreign and independent movies. They usually have awards from Sundance or some other indie movie recognition.

This movie Big Fan actually did well at Sundance and most of the user reviews were extremely positive. The characters were well developed, the story line is complete from beginning to end, and there are a couple of actors I recognized.

So, I should have liked this movie. The problem is I didn't like this movie at all despite those reasons. In most movies there is a character in it that you like. Sometimes, it is the hero, the underdog, or a person who you can relate to. This movie had no one that was likable. Kind of hard to believe, but there it is. I lost interest because everyone was depicted as a loser, hater, or just unhappy.

It is difficult to watch those types of movies where everyone sucks. There is nothing in the story that redeems anyone. Would I recommend this movie? I would say hell no, not because it was bad, but it just wasn't entertaining to me. This was suppose to be a comedy or black comedy, but honestly I found very little to laugh at.

On a side note Patton Oswalt is the voice of Ratatouille which you will enjoy much more than this movie.

Netflix summary:

Parking attendant and New York Giants fanatic Paul Aufiero (Patton Oswalt) must reexamine his life after he's beaten up by his favorite player in this comedy written and directed by Robert D. Siegel, a former editor-in-chief of "fake news" paper The Onion. Also starring Kevin Corrigan as Sal, Michael Rapaport as Philadelphia Phil and Marcia Jean Kurtz as Theresa, the film was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.

L'annulaire aka The Ring Finger

This was another French foreign movie that I thought would be good. The movie was actually engaging from beginning to end. The acting was fine and the story line was well paced. Not too fast and not too slow.

The problem is there are too many questions left unanswered. There is a picture of the conservator that Iris (the main character) finds from many years ago, but he has not aged since that picture was taken. All the other ladies in the picture have grown old. Is this a conservator trick? Why hasn't he aged? Is he the devil, a spirit, or even a real person? Who is the little boy ghost who keeps peeking out? Why do they even have the sailor character in the movie? Why does it take her a day and half to pick up the broken mahjong set?

They hook up during the movie, and the way they go about it is really awkward. Even the first love scene was surreal. One thrust and it was over. And they start to converse. No kissing, no hugging, nothing. Pretty hard to believe that particular scene.

In the end, there are too many metaphors to determine what happens and why it happens in the end. It isn't a David Lynch type of movie where enough clues allow you to speculate what happens next. It just leaves you with an unsatisfied feeling. It had all the elements of being a great movie, but for me fails in the way it ends.

The music in the movie by Beth Gibbons (of Portishead) was quite nice. My wife found the mp3 for it online. It wasn't one of the 3 songs in the credits.

I would not watch the movie again and so I can't recommend you watching it either.




Netflix summary:

After losing part of her finger in an industrial accident, gorgeous Iris (Olga Kurylenko) takes a job as an assistant to a man (Marc Barbé) running a lab where people bring keepsakes to be preserved -- and enters his strange, slightly disturbing reality. As she becomes ensconced in an odd, sensuous world of fetishes, ghosts and hauntingly silent unclaimed mementos, Iris falls into a steamy, bizarre affair with her boss in this erotic drama.

La Finestra di Fronte aka Facing Windows

You must know that I love foreign films. Especially when they are put together well. This Italian movie is a romance and drama, but doesn't feel that way. It seems to have two main characters that is the center of the movie. An unhappy wife who works in a chicken factory and an old Holocaust survivor who temporarily loses his memory.

I liked the movie from beginning to end. It comes together as it tells the stories of the past and present. Another thing I liked about the movie is the language and the passion they seem to all have in their voices. Yeah, I know it is just appears they speak mad all the time, but I think the people come across passionate too.

The preview video definitely made me want to watch the film. Check it out below.



I wound up eating cake with my coffee after the show. Lol.

Netflix summary:

Feeling overwhelmed and stuck in a dull marriage, Giovanna begins refocusing her attention (or repressing her emotions) by caring for the Jewish Holocaust survivor her husband brings home one day. As Giovanna reflects on her life, she turns to the man who lives across from her and whose window faces hers. Stars Giovanna Mezzogiorno, Massimo Girotti, Raoul Bova, Filippo Nigro and Serra Yilmaz. Directed by Verzan Ozpetek.

The Twilight Saga: New Moon

I like horror movies in general. I especially enjoy Vampire films. Even so, I always put my expectations lower because of the type of film it is.

I thought the first movie was good. After watching half way through this movie, I was irritated. They made the main character weak, whiny, and stupid. And they continued to develop her character that way. It was very disappointing.

I would not recommend watching this movie because you would be mad at me and I persoanlly could not sit through it again. The director sucked this time, the actors were decent, and the storyline was predictably stupid with a retarded ending. Which leads into the third story movie.



Netflix summary:

In this sequel to Twilight directed by Chris Weitz (American Pie), Forks, Wash., resident Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) is reeling from the departure of her vampire love, Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), and finds comfort in her friendship with Jacob Black, a werewolf (Taylor Lautner). But before she knows it, she's thrust into a centuries-old conflict, and her desire to be with Edward at any cost leads her to take greater and greater risks.

Thirteen Days

This political movie based on actual events looked boring in the trailer to me. However, I was always curious about the details of the events during the Kennedy years.

This movie is well directed, scripted and casted. I think all the actors did an amazing job and were believable in their roles. They definitely captured the sense of pressure during these times where we almost went into WW III. I didn't realize how serious it was until watching this.

The movie is quite long, but the pace is fast so it doesn't drag at all. The characters are well developed so you get a good sense of what type of people these were. One thing I didn't like were the military people at the highest levels. They reminded me of Rumsfeld, Cheney, and Wolfowitz during the invasion of Iraq.

Watch the movie because you will enjoy it.





Netflix Summary:

When a nuclear missile presence escalates in Cuba, President John F. Kennedy (Bruce Greenwood) attempts to curb the threat with help from his aides, his generals and his younger brother, Bobby (Stephen Culp), then the U.S. attorney general. After assessing the situation, they quickly realize the Soviets could launch offensive warheads, leaving the fate of the world hanging by a thread. Kevin Costner co-stars in this drama based on actual events.

Breaking Away

I usually don't watch too many old movies unless they are exceptional. Even movies that I watched as a kid thinking they were great were a disappointment when I saw them as an adult. Movies like the classic Star Wars.

Anyways, Breaking Away is a movie I heard was good, the preview looked OK, and they had some big stars before they had become big in it. As usual, I am not going to talk about the plot. I will talk about how I feel about this movie.

First of all, the acting was good and the storyline was great. It definitely catches the times they lived in. Quite frankly, I was entertained from beginning to end. So if you want to watch an oldie but a goodie, this is one of those. Also, on a side note, it sure is weird seeing some of these familiar faces in their youth.



Netflix Summary:

After graduating from high school, Dave Stohler (Dennis Christopher) dreams of becoming a champion bicyclist. Posing as an exchange student to mask his working-class roots, he frustrates his parents (Paul Dooley and Barbara Barrie) and charms a local college girl (Robyn Douglass). Peter Yates's Oscar-winning coming-of-age drama culminates when Dave gets a chance to leave his past behind and race against the Italian riders he worships.

Le Silence de Lorna aka Lorna's Silence

Another foreign flick because I love watching them. This particular movie had high reviews from Netflix users who are supposedly similar to me. How accurate does it come? Well, it's hard to say but lately I think they have been completely off.

I had high expectations of this movie. It had great acting, an interesting storyline (at least by the trailer), and great reviews from the netflix community. Quite honestly it starts off interesting with our main character Lorna talking to Claudy the drug addict she married for money. As the story goes she starts to become more attracted with him. For me I never saw the connection of why they were physically or sexually attracted to each other. He seemed to be an annoyance to her most of the time.

Even if you give that part of the story the benefit of the doubt, the ending is awful. It is there, but a few questions remain unanswered for me. Why does she think she is pregnant when the hospital tells her the results are negative? Then why does she lose her common sense in the end? I don't think the director intends her to become insane at the end, but that is almost the only thing you can conclude base on her actions. I expected the story to go a bit further, but just like some other French movies I have seen, it seems like they end the movie as soon as they run out of funds. Does the whole story make sense? It doesn't matter...The End


Lorna's Silence (2008) Movie Trailer - Click here for funny video clips

Netflix summary:

While saving up to open her own snack bar in the Belgian city of Liège, Albanian immigrant Lorna (Arta Dobroshi) is given a shot at citizenship when local mobster Fabio (Fabrizio Rongione) arranges a sham marriage to drug addict Claudy (Jérémie Renier). But when Fabio plots to kill Claudy, Lorna gets dragged into the mobster's sordid plan in this gripping drama from the acclaimed Belgian directors Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne.

Notorious

This is a movie about the life of a rap star Notorious B.I.G. I am not a big fan but I do like some of his music. I don't know how accurate the facts are, but the movie itself is well directed and the actors play the characters very well.

If you like rap music, then I think you will get insight to this rapper's background, motivation, and inspiration. If you don't like rap music, you probably won't appreciate this film.

Personally, I would recommend watching it if you want a better understanding from the perspective of Notorious B.I.G or Biggie Smalls.





Netflix Summary:

Based on the story of Christopher Wallace -- better known as gangsta rapper Notorious B.I.G. (played by Jamal Woolard) -- this insightful biopic chronicles his troubled life as a drug dealer, his artistic success and his unresolved murder at age 24. The film also delves into his close friendship with Sean Combs (Derek Luke) and the famous feud with hip-hop rival Tupac Shakur (Anthony Mackie). Angela Bassett portrays Biggie's mother.

Good Dick

This was actually a good Indie movie with a pretty good but different type of plot. It starts out great and you can see the potential of the movie. The character are developed quite well and even the director/star does a great job overall.

You do like the quirky characters and the story line develops well, but then all of a sudden Tom Arnold appears in a cameo father appearance. Then the movie sinks from that point. The main character gains her independence and overcomes her fears, but the explanation is lacking at how she achieved this. The movie music kicks in and you kind of wish there was a better explanation than just her missing this homeless video clerk.

This could have been a movie I wanted to recommend but just can't. Interesting beginning, good middle, but a let down in the end.



Netflix Summary:

Habitually isolated in her quiet apartment, a vulnerable girl (Marianna Palka) with a penchant for soft-core porn ventures out to a local video store, where she meets a store clerk (Jason Ritter) who vows to break down her emotional walls and win her affections. But as he pursues her in bizarre fashion, it's clear that their budding relationship will be anything but conventional. Lead actress and screenwriter Palka makes her directorial debut.

Wuthering Heights

I like watching British movies and enjoy BBC productions. This update or remake of Wuthering Heights is not what I remembered from the first movie.

For some reason, this novel adaptation does not depict the characters in a good light. Most of the characters are not likable which is weird because I did like the first movie. The acting is good but still doesn't make the movie any better to me.

After watching this movie, I can't say I like it or hate it. But I definitely can't recommend watching it. For some reason, I didn't feel entertained by this version. On top of that it was much longer.

I couldn't find a movie trailer to embed. They all had singing in them that seemed to make the movie more appealing even thought those songs were not part of the movie at all. I think this clip will give you a better idea of the movie's feel.





The netflix viewers gave this movie high ratings, but like I said the previous versions I have seen were better.

Netflix summary:

Emily Brontë's sweeping tale of romance set against the backdrop of the Yorkshire moors gets the "Masterpiece" treatment in this lush made-for-television adaptation starring Charlotte Riley and Tom Hardy. Cathy (Riley) eventually fell in love with Heathcliff (Hardy), the young Gypsy boy her father brought home years ago. But now that they're adults, another man (Tom Payne) is offering her his affections -- and a far more comfortable life.

Surveillance

This was a movie that had potential to be a good movie. It has big actors in it although a bit past their prime. The movie was produced by David Lynch and directed by his daughter Jennifer Lynch.

I think it is a gamble when you watch David Lynch movies. You either hate them or like them. You either get them or you don't. I think the preview looked pretty interesting.

This movie doesn't make the cut. It is cohesive and even coherent, but I think there needs to be a more specific reason why they kill other than they are psychopathic. In the end, I don't really feel satisfied with what I watched nor entertained. Save your popcorn for another movie.






Netflix Summary:

Revealing the stunning truth behind a horrific string of homicides near Santa Fe, a young girl (Ryan Simpkins), police officer (Kent Harper) and drug addict (Pell James) spill their wildly different witness accounts to FBI agents Elizabeth Anderson (Julia Ormond) and Sam Hallaway (Bill Pullman). Jennifer Chambers Lynch (Boxing Helena) directs this thriller that co-stars Michael Ironside, Cheri Oteri and French Stewart.