The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Academy Award Winner, Jennifer Lawrence returns to the sci-fi series with the return of the supporting cast Josh Hutcherson, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Lenny Kravitz, Liam Hemsworth, Stanley Tucci and Donald Sutherland. It also brings in new characters played by Sam Clafin, Jeffrey Wright, Jena Malone, and Philip Seymour Hoffman. The special effects and makeup/costumes are good as usual. The music is well done also, as is writing. Pretty good. 8/10

Director: Francis Lawrence

Music: James Newton Howard

Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Woody Harrelson, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Sam Clafin, Jena Malone, Jeffrey Wright, Elizabeth Banks, Liam Hemsworth, Lenny Kravitz, Amanda Plummer, Lynn Cohen, Willow Shields, Paula Malcomson, Toby Jones with Stanley Tucci and Donald Sutherland

Release Year: 2013

Rating: PG-13

The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

The predecessor of last years "An Unexpected Journey", The Desolation of Smaug is sure trying to beat out Gravity for visual effects this year! The film picks up where the last left off, and introducing a love triangle while adding back in supporting cast member Orlando Bloom as Legolas, the film ends with a major cliffhanger. The sequel brings back Ian Mckellan, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage and the dwarf clan for some dragon sleying, and introduces new characters, most notably some elven characters. The visual effects were stunning, as well as makeup(as usual), the music was phenomenal and Peter Jackson has successfully made a blockbuster again. 7/10

Director: Peter Jackson

Music: Howard Shore

Cast: Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Orlando Bloom, Luke Evans, Evangeline Lily, Ken Stott, Aidan Turner, Graham McTavish, Dean O' Gorman, James Nesbitt, Jed Brophy, Adam Brown, John Callen, Mark Hadlow, Peter Hambleton, Stephen Hunter, William Kircher with Manu Bennet, Benedict Cumberbatch, Steven Fry, Sylvester McCoy, Lee Pace, Mikael Persbrandt and Ian Mckellan

Release Year: 2013

Rating: PG-13

Ender's Game

Ender's Game

After 28 years, the Orson Scott Card book was turned into a movie with an all star cast. I liked this movie quite a bit, though other reviews are seeming not to like it. The visual effects for this movie were quite outstanding, since almost all of this movie is set in space, as well as the movie is set in 2086. I also liked the music, writing and acting for this movie. As usual I appreciate Asa Butterfield's acting very much, as he is one of the best child actors in the world. I couldn't imagine Ender being played as anyone else. 8/10.

Director: Gavin Hood

Music: Steve Jablonsky

Cast: Asa Butterfield, Harrison Ford, Hailee Steinfeld, Viola Davis, Aramis Knight, Nonso Anozie, Suraj Parthasarathy, Moises Arias, Khylin Rambo, Conor Carrol, with Abigail Breslin and Ben Kingsley

Release Year: 2013

Rating: PG-13

Star Wars: The Compete Series

Star Wars: The Complete Series

Although the prequel trilogy is quite recent, the Star Wars Series did start in the 70s. These films have been considered one of the best film series of all time. The series was nominated for 25 Academy Awards, of which they won 10, 3 of which were Special Awards. Overall the film series has accumulated well known attention with the score, and some of the lines from the film being still used in media today. As most people do, I prefer the Original Trilogy over the Prequel Trilogy.

Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace

Director: George Lucas

Music: John Williams

Cast: Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Jake Lloyd, Ahmed Best, Pernilla August, Samuel L. Jackson, Kenny Baker, Anthony Daniels, Andy Secombe, Terence Stamp, Ian McDiarmad, Keira Knightley, with Ray Park and Frank Oz

Release Year: 1999

Rating: PG

Grade: 7

Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones

Director: George Lucas
Music: John Williams
Cast: Ewan McGregor, Hayden Christensen, Natalie Portman, Kenny Baker, Anthony Daniels, Ian McDiarmad, Samuel L. Jackson, Christopher Lee, Pernilla August, Joel Edgerton, Bonnie Piesse, Andy Secombe and Frank Oz
Release Year: 2002
Rating: PG
Grade: 6

Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

Director: George Lucas
Music: John Williams
Cast: Ewan McGregor, Hayden Christensen, Natalie Portman, Ian McDiarmad, Samuel L. Jackson, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, Christopher Lee, Matthew Wood, Peter Mayhew, Ahmed Best, with James Earl Jones and Frank Oz
Release Year: 2005
Rating: PG-13
Grade: 7

Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope

Director: George Lucas
Music: John Williams
Cast: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fischer, James Earl Jones, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, Peter Mayhew, Peter Cushing, Denis Lawson, Phil Brown, Shelagh Fraser and Alec Guiness
Release Year: 1977
Rating: PG
Grade:8

Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

Director: Irvin Kershner
Music: John Williams
Cast: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fischer, James Earl Jones, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, Peter Mayhew, Billy Dee Williams, Denis Lawson, with Alec Guiness and Frank Oz

Release Year: 1980
Rating: PG
Grade: 9

Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi

Director: Richard Maquand
Music: John Williams
Cast: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fischer, James Earl Jones, Ian McDiarmad, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, Peter Mayhew, Billy Dee Williams, Denis Lawson, Warwick Davis, with Alec Guiness and Frank Oz
Release Year: 1983
Rating: PG
Grade: 8

Indiana Jones Trilogy

The Indiana Jones Trilogy

One of the other greatest trilogies of the 80's is the Indiana Jones Trilogy. As most of you know, there are 4 movies in the franchise, but since I'm doing a back in time segment for my reviews, I decided to only do the original three. As one of the most well known Spielberg creations of all time, Indiana Jones has been seen as one of the best. Starring Harrison Ford as the archaeologist, it is one of the most unique characters there is. With 14 Academy Award nominations(including Best Picture, and Best Director), it won 7 of them. It was nominated for Best Original Score each time, and won a Special Award in Sound Editing. This is truly one of the things that made the 80's and 90's films masterpieces.

Raiders of The Lost Ark

Director: Steven Spielberg

Music: John Williams

Cast: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, John-Rhys Davies, Ronald Lacey and Denholm Elliot

Release Year: 1981

Rating: PG-13

Grade: 8

Temple of Doom

Director: Steven Spielberg

Music: John Williams

Cast: Harrison Ford, Kate Capshaw, Amrish Puri and introducing Jonathan Ke Quan

Release Year: 1984

Rating: PG-13

Grade: 7

The Last Crusade

Director: Steven Spielberg

Music: John Williams

Cast: Harrison Ford, Sean Connery, Denholm Elliot, Julian Glover, Allison Doody and John Rhys-Davies

Release Year: 1989

Rating: PG-13

Grade: 7

Gravity

Gravity

So right now I am stopping my 90s and 80s tribute so I can do a review on Gravity. This movie was just one of the best of 2013 so far. There were three things that absolutely made this movie great. The first was the script. It just was good. The second was the special effects. Unless if they actually put Sandra Bullock and George Clooney in space, then these special effects did just about everything for this film. It looked real, and so for that I give a well deserved round of applause to the special effects team. Finally the acting. Sandra Bullock was great and probably will be nominated for best actress this year. George Clooney as well did a marvelous job. 9/10.

Director: Alfonso Cuaron

Music: Steven Price

Cast: Sandra Bullock and George Clooney

Release Year: 2013

Rating: PG-13

Back To The Future Trilogy

  

Back to the Future Trilogy

One of the best trilogies of all time is most definitely the adventures of Marty McFly, and should most definitely be included the group of older movies that I'm doing. Starting in 1985 and ending in 1990, this movie takes you to the future, the past, and even the old west. It is all about time travel, but had some of the best visual effects for that age of special effects. It was nominated for 5 academy awards winning only one sound mixing award. It follows the hilarious adventures of Marty and his friend Dr. Emmett Brown, and what happens when they mess up time. Each film will get its own rating below.

Back To The Future

Director: Robert Zemeckis

Music: Alan Silvestri

Cast: Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover, Thomas F. Wilson, Claudia Wells, and James Tolken

Release Year: 1985

Rating: PG-13

Grade: 8

Back To The Future Part II

Director: Robert Zemeckis
Music: Alan Silvestri
Cast: Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Thomas F. Wilson, Lea Thompson, Elizabeth Shue, Jeffrey Weissman, and James Tolken
Release Year: 1989
Rating: PG-13
Grade: 7

Back To The Future Trilogy Part III

Director: Robert Zemeckis
Music: Alan Silvestri
Cast: Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Mary Steenburgen, Thomas F. Wilson, Elizabeth Shue, James Tolkan and Lea Thompson
Release Year: 1990
Rating: PG-13
Grade: 7

Forrest Gump

Forrest Gump

Robert Zemeckis brings the drama-comedy Forrest Gump, off the pages of the book and onto the big screen, which snagged him Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Film Editing, and Best Visual effects. It is a very well scripted film balancing the drama and the comedy. Tom Hanks really is shown for his greatness in this film. Definitely a must see. 9/10.



Director: Robert Zemeckis
Music: Alan Silvestri
Cast: Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Mykelti Williamson with Haley Joel Osment and Sally Field
Release Year: 1994
Rating: PG-13

Independence Day

Independence Day

To people who read these blogs, I have mostly done newer films, so I'm going back in time a bit, and doing some 80s and 90s films. So to start it off I'm going to do the 1996, doomsday blockbuster, Independence Day. This movie is one of those movies that should be looked back upon as one of those great older movies.

The film with a huge cast, really touched me, making me think of a lot of things, but I felt there emotions and so I give this film a sincere thumbs up. It did quite well at the box office, with the highest grossing film of the year, as well as hitting 38th highest grossing film of all time. And I like the writing and directing that went on with the film, how it put it on three separate days, with all these different stories, intertwining at the end. 8/10.

Director: Roland Emmerich'

Music: David Arnold

Cast: Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, Margaret Colin, Vivica A. Fox, Judd Hirsch, Randy Quaid, Robert Loggia, James Duval, Harvey Fierstine, Mary Mcdonnel, James Rebhorn, Brent Spiner, Harry Connick Jr, Mae Whitman, Kiersten Warren 

Release Year: 1996

Rating: PG-13

The Way, Way Back

The Way, Way Back

This film by Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, have created another hit. Young star, Liam James, portrays young depressed teenager Duncan. With an amazing cast, and an amazing script, this film brings comedy and drama, and combines it into a good mix. Steve Carell plays something other than his normal comedy self. Sam Rockwell was very good also. This movie was one of the good ones of 2013. 8/10.

Directors: Nat Faxon, Jim Rash

Music: Rob Simonsen

Cast: Liam James, Toni Colette, Steve Carell, AnnaSophia Robb, Allison Janney, Maya Rudolf, Amanda Peet, Rob Corddry, River Alexander, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash, Robert Capron and Sam Rockwell

Release Year: 2013

Rating: PG-13

Lee Daniels' The Butler

Lee Daniels' The Butler

The 2013 movie about the life of Cecil Gaines and his work as butler at the White House. The film has amazing makeup and I would be surprised if there wasn't an Oscar nomination there. The character portrayals are very good. The music I like quite well, as well as the writing and acting. I give it an 8/10.

Director: Lee Daniels

Music: Rodrigo Leao

Cast: Forest Whitaker, Oprah Winfrey, David Oyelowo, Cuba Gooding Jr., Lenny Kravitz, John Cusack, Jane Fonda, Minka Kelly, James Marsden, Alan Rickman, Liev Schreiber, Elijah Kelley, Terrence Howard, Adriane Lenox, Yaya DaCosta, Clarence Williams III, David Banner, Alex Pettyfer, Vanessa Redgrave and Robin Williams

Release Year: 2013

Rating: PG-13

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

 Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

One of 2011s best films, though it had mixed reviews. I don't see how people didn't like it. It is really sad at times, but it is a very funny drama as well. It centers on young boy Oskar, who finds a key in the midst of his dead fathers things. He then pursues a search to find out what the key opens, and how it connects to his father. The film has a great cast. I loved this movie, especially since the main star isn't even an actor, though through this film, he has proved he is a very good one. Thomas Horn(Oskar) stole the show in this film. In my perspective, he should've been at least nominated for Best Actor that year. The score blew me away as well. Thank you Alexandre Desplat! And this is one of those few films who made a very good film adaption of a book.8/10.

Director: Stephen Daldry

Music: Alexandre Desplat

Cast: Thomas Horn, Max Von Sydow, Sandra Bullock, Jeffrey Wright, Viola Davis, Zoe Caldwell, with John Goodman and Tom Hanks

Release Year: 2011

Rating: PG-13

White House Down

White House Down

Roland Emmerich has made another good movie. White House Down is a political thriller about what happens after terrorists take over the White House and try to capture the president. It had a pretty good script and very good acting from the main stars. This was a pretty good film altogether, and is not just some movie that is only good because it has Channing Tatum. 6/10.

Director: Roland Emmerich

Music: Harald Kloser and Thomas Wanker

Cast: Channing Tatum, Jamie Foxx, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Joey King, Jason Clarke, Richard Jenkins, Nicholas Wright, Michael Murphy, with Jimmi Simpson and James Woods

Release Year: 2013

Rating: PG-13

Man of Steel

Man of Steel

The 2013 Superman reboot was fairly good. The film was the origin story of Superman starring a rather unknown star, Henry Cavill, as the lead. The film has a very big cast. The writing was very good, though I wish they had spent more time on his background. The films score by Hans Zimmer was quite extraordinary. Fairly good film. 8/10.

Director: Zack Snyder

Music: Hans Zimmer

Cast: Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Diane Lane, Kevin Costner, Laurence Fishburne, Christopher Meloni, and Russel Crowe
Release Year: 2013
Rating: PG-13

Now You See Me

Now You See Me

Finally, there is a movie worth celebrating in the year of 2013! There have been many great films this year, but in the month of May we have gotten a lot of films. Iron Man 3, then Great Gatsby, then Star Trek Into Darkness, then After Earth and this film, made May a very big month for movies. I have been looking forward to this film since early January this year, and I can say, it was well worth the wait. It was a phenomenal film with great cast, plot, screenplay, effects, and music. Now You See Me is a movie about magicians who pull off bank heists during their performances and give the audience the money. The film stars a big cast of people, and I can't have imagined anyone better for the parts. It brings action, humor, suspense, intrigue, mystery, and of course magic all into one film. The effects seemed like magic for this film, and though not as amazing of that of Iron Man 3, it was still good. The script was probably my favorite part of this film, as it kept all of the audience guessing, which films rarely can do. All together, this is maybe my favorite movie of the year so far. 8/10.

Director: Louis Leterrier

Music: Brian Tyler

Cast: Mark Ruffalo, Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher, Melanie Laurent, Dave Franco, Michael J. Kelly, Common, with Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman
Release Year: 2013
Rating: PG-13

After Earth

After Earth

A sci-fi story, directed by M. Night Shayamalan, puts real life father and son, Will Smith and Jaden Smith, in a quest that will be either life or death for the family. It takes place over 1,000 years from now, and tells the story of father and son, Cypher and Kitai Raige who get crash-landed on what had been Earth, and must venture through their worst fears to get to a beacon that will save their lives. The special effects were okay, and the plot was okay as well. What mostly stood out in this film was the acting. The acting was a bit different than what we would normally suspect. Altogether it was an okay film. Some critics say it is the first bombed film of the summer, others say the opposite. My rating of the film is in the middle of those two. I give this film a 6/10.

Director: M. Night Shayamalan

Music: James Newton Howard

Cast: Jaden Smith, Will Smith, Zoe Kravitz and Sophie Okonedo

Release Year: 2013

Rating: PG-13

Hugo

Hugo

The 2011 film directed by Martin Scorsese, is based off of the book "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" written by Brian Selznick. It tells the story of a boy in a train station. He is fatherless, motherless, friendless, hopeless, yet he does what no one else does. He fixes the clocks. The film brings the tale to life in the most amazing ways. The visual effects have won Academy Awards as they are deserved for this film. At the 84th Annual Academy Awards it scored big with 11 nominations, the most for the evening. It was nominated for Best Picture and Best Director, though it won neither. It won 5 awards which tied with The Artist for most awards of the evening. It won Best Visual Effects, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Sound Editing, and Best Sound Editing. The film had great success. It introduced Asa Butterfield, as he played the protagonist, Hugo Cabret. Wonderful writing and music. Great film. 8/10.

Director: Martin Scorsese

Music: Howard Shore

Cast: Asa Butterfield, Chloe Grace Moretz, Ben Kingsley, Sacha Baron Cohen, Helen McCrory, Christopher Lee, Emily Mortimer, Richard Griffiths, Frances de la Tour, Ray Winstone and Jude Law

Release Year: 2011

Rating: PG

Sherlock Holmes Film Series

           

Sherlock Holmes Film Series

The film series was based off of the literary character created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Directed by Guy Ritchie the film stars Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law in the main parts of the Sherlock and Watson. The writing has its brilliant moments, just as it has that comedy moments, and action moments. Great films.

Sherlock Holmes

Director: Guy Ritchie

Music: Hans Zimmer

Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Eddie Marsan, Hans Matherson, Kelly Reily, Robert Mailet, Geraldine James, James Fox, William Hope and Mark Strong

Release Year: 2009

Rating: PG-13

Grade: 7/10

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

Director: Guy Ritchie
Music: Hans Zimmer
Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Noomi Rapace, Jared Harris, Stephen Fry, Kelly Reily, Paul Anderson, Geraldine James, Eddie Marsan and Rachel McAdams
Release Year: 2011
Rating: PG-13
Grade: 7/10

Star Trek Into Darkness

Star Trek Into Darkness

The sequel to the 2009 reboot was very great, like most J.J. Abrams movies are. The film brought back all of its previous cast with new villain played by Benedict Cumberbatch. As most films are these day, the film had great visual effects. The writing, again like most Abrams movies, was amazing. A trademark of J.J. Abrams is putting Michael Giacchino in the seat of making the wonderful music for this film. We need more films like this these days. 8/10.

Director: J.J. Abrams

Music: Michael Giacchino

Cast: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Benedict Cumberbatch, Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg, Karl Urban, John Cho, Alice Eve, Anton Yelchin, Peter Weller, and Bruce Greenwood

Release Year: 2013

Rating: PG-13

Iron Man 3

Iron Man 3

The 2013 block-buster takes MARVEL back to the scree, in it's first film since "The Amazing Spider Man". It is the first MARVEL film of 2013 and it brings back past Iron Man stars Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle and Jon Favreau. Shane Black took over the helm of director after Jon Favreau left, though Favreau did reprise his role as Happy Hogan. This film is the start of MARVEL's Phase Two movies, which will most likely include "Thor: The Dark World","Captain America: The Winter Soldier", "Ant-Man", "Avengers 2", "Guardians of the Galaxy" and "The Amazing Spider Man 2". The film takes place after The Avengers and shows mostly a look inside the personal character of Tony Stark. The films visual effects were phenomenal as usual, though the plot at some times let me down. The writing however was hilarious, and I left the theater knowing, this was the best Iron Man yet. This was a great movie, with a wonderful cast and a amazing visual effects team. 7/10.

Director: Shane Black

Music: Brian Tyler

Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Paul Bettany, Rebecca Hall, James Badge Dale, Ty Simpkon, William Sadler, Miguel Ferrer, with Jon Favreau and Ben Kingsley

Release Year: 2013

Rating: PG-13

Oblivion

Oblivion

 

2013 will bring many films that are set in the future. Oblivion does this, and pulls it off in a pretty good way. Though confusing at times, if you pay attention, I think you can fall in love with it. I watched it tonight, and it was very good. It could have used some touching up, but all films can honestly. The special effects were great and the set was phenomenal. I don't know what they did, but they made it all look so well. One of the things that also stood out to me, was the music. I loved the music in this film, and I hope it gets a well deserved Academy nomination. It is worth seeing, and you should see it, before it's out of the movie theaters. If you are to late for that, go to a Redbox, or buy it on dvd. It is a great film. 8/10.

 

 

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Music: Anthony Gonzalez, M83, Joseph Trapanese 

Cast: Tom Cruise, Olga Kuryelenko, Andrea Riseborough, Melissa Leo, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Zoe Belle and Morgan Freeman

Release Year: 2013

Rating: PG-13

 

 

Lincoln

Lincoln

The 2012 Steven Spielberg documentary on the last few months of the Civil War was a phenomenal hit. Gaining Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations this film was a big hit for Spielberg. Spielberg in 2011 did a film like this, "War Horse", which also gained love by many. This film stars Academy Award winners Daniel Day Lewis, Sally Field, and Tommy Lee Jones, all of which got nominations for acting in this film at the 85th Annual Academy Awards. Daniel Day Lewis was the only one that won in his category, beating out stiff competition Hugh Jackman(Les Miserables), and Bradley Cooper(Silver Linings Playbook). The film, including the three acting nominations, got 12 nominations(the most number of nominations for that year), at the 85th Academy Awards, although only winning two(Best Actor, Best Production Design). The music received a well deserved nomination for Best Original Score, which was composed by John Williams, something Spielberg normally does. The film had dashes of comedy, though mostly a drama. It is one of the best films of 2012 honestly, and therefore I give it an 8/10.

Director: Steven Spielberg

Music: John Williams

Cast: Daniel Day Lewis, Sally Field, David Strathairn, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, James Spader, Hal Holbrook, John Hawkes, Lee Pace, Tim Blake Nelson, Gulliver Mcgrath, with Jared Harris and Tommy Lee Jones

Release Year: 2012

Rating: PG-13

The X-Men Trilogy

This is my first trilogy and I will do these more often instead of doing movies from series seperately.

The X-Men Trilogy

The X-Men Trilogy is something you normally see: an okay, yet not the best superhero movie series. The film series has one main protagonist, Magneto, who once was a good friend of X-Men Leader Charles Xavier(Professor X), and his evil organization, The Brotherhood. The film series starts with X-Men. Directed by Bryan Singer, it follows Rogue and Wolverine, and how they got to the X-Men. The film stars Hugh Jackman, as Wolverine, Patrick Stewart, as Charles Xavier, and Ian Mckellan, as Magneto. The films music is quite good, and the writing is okay, but not the best of the three. Throughout the entire film series it shows the racism against mutants, as well as the government's view on mutants. X2:X-Men United shows this concept more than the other three. This film is also directed by Bryan Singer, and has the same cast. However, a new composer was brought on. This film is about how one man decides to kill off the rest of the mutants using a mutant, and how in respond to this, Magneto and the X-Men must work together. This film is my favorite of the three, and for one of the few times in motion picture history, the sequel is better than the original. This film shows more unhappiness, and it has more of a theme than the last few. Now the third film is not the best. It is not directed by Bryan Singer, because he left to direct Superman Returns, but instead is directed by Brett Ratner.Same cast, and different composer, as usual. A different script is here, and introduces a weird plot twist, that still annoys me to this day. The main idea of this film is that when a cure for the mutants is made they must decide if they would rather be human or a mutant. Okay film series. Not my favorite by far though. I will give each film a rating at the bottom. Trilogy rating I give 6/10.

X-Men

Director: Bryan Singer

Music: Michael Kamen

Cast: Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Ian Mckellan, James Marsden, Halle Berry, Famke Janssen, Rebecca Romijn, Bruce Davidson, Ray Park, Shawn Ashmore, and Anna Paquin

Release Year: 2000
Rating: PG-13 
Grade: 6/10

X2: X-Men United

Director: Bryan Singer

Music: John Ottman

Cast: Hugh Jackman, Ian Mckellan, Halle Berry, Famke Janssen, Rebecca Romijn, Shawn Ashmore, Aaron Stanford, Anna Paquin, Brian Cox, Alan Cumming, Bruce Davidson, with James Marsden, and Patrick Stewart

Release Year: 2003
Rating: PG-13
Grade: 7/10

X-Men: The Last Stand

Director: Brett Ratner

Music: John Powell

Cast: Hugh Jackman, Ian Mckellan, Halle Berry, Famke Janssen, Kelsey Grammer, Shawn Ashmore, Aaron Stanford, Ellen Page, Rebecca Romijn, Anna Paquin, Vinnie Jones, Eric Dane, Daniel Cudmore, Ben Foster, with James Marsden and Patrick Stewart

Release Year: 2006
Rating: PG-13 
Grade:5/10

Batman Begins

Batman Begins

The first of Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy was the worst of the film series but still a great movie. With a great cast, plus fine directing, music, and a new script, the film didn't relate to the past Batman movies or the other characters in the DC Universe, unlike MARVEL. The film was darker and more realistic than the past 4 Batman films. It actually made us feel emotions, unlike the Joel Schumacher Batman films. It shows the story of how Bruce Wayne came from everything and went to nothing. It shows for once how and why he puts the mask on. Haven't you always wondered why he became Batman in the first place, or how he found the Batcave, or where he go all of his gadgets? I know I have, and this movie gives you answers to all of these questions. The movie follows his background, his personal life, as well as his fight against justice. The writing was elegantly thought out. The music by two famous composers(Hans Zimmer, James Newton Howard) was perfect for the film, as well as the very good cast. The film stars Christian Bale as our masked protagonist, Michael Caine as his loyal butler, and Liam Neeson, Cillian Murphy, Katie Holmes, Gary Oldman, and Morgan Freeman. Great film. 7/10.

Director: Christopher Nolan

Music: Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard

Cast: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Cillian Murphy, Gary Oldman, Rutger Hauer, Ken Watanabe, with Tom Wilkinson and Morgan Freeman
Release Year: 2005
Rating: PG-13 

Jurassic Park

Jurassic Park

Jurassic Park made a very big impact on visual effects when it came out in 1993. Now 20 years later it still is considered a classic in film history. It inspired a trilogy, and was based off of the two Michael Crichton books. Directed by Steven Spielberg its about a theme park where the main attraction is live dinosaurs, but when the parks power goes out, the dinosaurs start running loose. The film stars a very good cast and is known for the film´s visual effects. Very good film. 8/10.

Director: Steven Spielberg

Music: John Williams

Cast: Sam Niell, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Joseph Mazzello, Ariana Richards, Samuel L. Jackson, Bob Peck, Wayne Knight, Martin Ferrerro and Richard Attenborough

Release Year: 1993
Rating: PG-13 

The Prestige

I'm sorry I have not blogged anything in a while. But here is my review of The Prestige.

The Prestige

The Prestige is a 2006 film about two rival magicians in 1900's England. After one performance goes bad, they become rivals and start rivaling magic shows. But when obsession and hatred become reality, they start doing things that they can't take back. This film is directed by Inception director Christopher Nolan. The directing in this film is very good, and I still don't know how he did many of the things he did in this movie. The writing, also done by Nolan, was magnificent! The writing had many twists and turns, and it still takes lots of thought, but it is worth purchasing and watching again and again. Although based on a novel, the movie's screenplay was amazing, and the magnificence of this film can only be shown in this area, the visual effects area, and the acting area. The visual effects were astounding! They made the impossible, seem possible, and the magic, seem real! Now to the acting. The film stars as its two rival magicians, Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale. Michael Caine, starring along side Christian Bale again in a Christopher Nolan film after "Batman Begins", plays Cutter, a man who makes the magic tricks. Scarlett Johansson plays Olivia, the stunning assistant. The film also stars Rebecca Hall, Andy Serkis, Piper Perabo, and David Bowie. The film was altogether stunning, so I give it a well deserved 9/10.

Director: Christopher Nolan

Music: David Julyan
Cast: Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Scarlett Johansson, Rebecca Hall, Andy Serkis, with Piper Perabo and David Bowie
Release Year: 2006
Rating: PG-13 

The Help

The Help

The 2011 film was, in my views, the best film of 2011. The film was based off of the book, and was about the hardships faced by the blacks in the 60's in Alabama. It had an amazing cast and got two Oscar nominations for Viola Davis(Best Actress) and Octavia Spencer(Best Supporting Actress).The film had amazing success, getting an Oscar nomination for Best Picture. I felt this film was very good. The writing was very good, as was acting and directing. 9/10.

Director:Tate Taylor

Music: Thomas Newman

Cast: Emma Stone, Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, Bryce Dallas Howard, Jessica Chastain, Allison Janney, Anna Camp, Sissy Spacek, Mike Vogel and Cicely Tyson

Release Date: 2011
Rating: PG-13 

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

The end of the amazing magical film series was in 2011, striking 3rd in box office records of all time, only to be broken the next year by The Avengers in 2012. The film to me was the best of all of the films. This is one of the first film series based off of a fantasy book series, the series starting in 2001 along side the Lord of the Rings trilogy also starting that same year. Ironically enough the Lord of the Rings series is the only other film series to do better than this one in the category of "based off of a fantasy book series". The film lasted 10 years, the exact same of amount of time it took to write and publish the books. Also coincidentally the film series started and ended four years after the book series started and ended. This film brought back all of it's previous cast. The film was mostly the Battle of Hogwarts which is not a bad thing seeing as they did a very good job with the big battle. I actually wish they had showed more on the battle. Altogether it was a great film series. In my opinion the rates on the movies go, from best to worst(Deathly Hallows Part 2, Sorcerers Stone, Half Blood Prince, Deathly Hallows Part 1, Chamber of Secrets, Goblet of Fire, Order of the Phoenix, and finally Prisoner of Azkaban). Good film series! Wonderful writing, acting, directing, and especially music all around! I loved this movie especially! 7/10.

Director: David Yates

Music: Alexandre Desplat

Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Ralph Fiennes, Alan Rickman, Matthew Lewis, Tom Felton, Bonnie Wright, James and Oliver Phelps, Evanna Lynch, Maggie Smith, Jim Broadbent, Julie Walters, Mark Williams, David Thewlis, Emma Thompson, Timothy Spall, Kelly Macdonald, Robbie Coltrane, Jason Issacs, Helen McCrory, John Hurt, Helena Bonham Carter, Warwick Davis, Domnhall Gleeson, Clemence Poesy, Devin Murray, Freddie Stroma, Jessie Cave, Ciaran Hinds, Katie Leung, Alfie Enoch, Josh Herdman, Louis Cordice, Miriam Margolyes, Natalia Tena, George Harris, Dave Legeno, with Gary Oldman and Michael Gambon

Release Date: 2011
Rating: PG-13 

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

This film is the last of the amazing award winning trilogy helmed by Peter Jackson. The film is the sequel and finale to the trilogy and is based on the book series by J.J.R. Tolkien. The film brought back all of the cast of the past films. It was nominated and won all 11 awards at the Academy Awards in 2003(including Best Picture and Best Director), one of the only films ever to do so, while also being the only fantasy film to do so, as well as being the second sequel(after The Godafther Part II). The film had a score made by Howard Shore once again, as he has done all Lord of the Rings films, and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, and it's song "Into the West" by Annie Lennox winning Best Original Song and Score that year at The Academy Awards as well. Award winning special effects combined with all of the above gives this film a 8/10.

Director: Peter Jackson

Music: Howard Shore
Cast: Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Viggo Mortenson, Ian Mckellan,John-Rhys Davies, Orlando Bloom, Bernarnd Hill, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Miranda Otto, Hugo Weaving, Karl Urban, Dvid Wenham, Liv Tyler, Harry Sinclaire, Cate Blanchett, with Ian Holm, Sean Bean and Andy Serkis as Gollum
Release Year: 2003
Rating: PG-13 

X-Men First Class

X-Men First Class

2011 brought 3 superhero movies all owned by MARVEL(Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger, and X-Men First Class). In my opinion this film was the best out of the three. The films cast was very good, and the directing was very good, as was writing. What mostly stood out to me was the music, acting and writing. Henry Jackman blew me away with the music! Very good. A+! Now the acting was very good with many new faces and many well known faces, but all around good acting. The script was my favirote of all the X-Men films, and I loved it very much. altogether wonderful film. 8/10.

Direcotr: Matthew Vaughn

Music: Henry Jackman

Cast: James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Rose Byrne, Nicholas Hoult, Oliver Platt, Lucas Till, Zoe Kravitz, Jason Flemyng, Alex Gonzalez, with January Jones and Kevin Bacon

Release Year: 2011
Rating: PG-13 

The Amazing Spider Man

  

The Amazing Spider Man

The second premiering MARVEL film of 2012 and the second opening superhero movie of 2012 came out with a bang! The new trilogy now directed by Marc Webb, replacing Sam Raimi,  and starring The Social Network's Andrew Garield(who replaced Tobey Maguire) also had a completely new storyline, one that in my opinion was much better than the original trilogy's storyline. The film had very good special effects and a hilarious script! The new heroic Spider-Man tune by James Horner was amazing, and very different from the old one by Danny Elfman. Altogether it was a very good film. Much better than the old trilogy, in fact. This reboot deserves a 8/10.

Director: Marc Webb

Music: James Horner

Cast: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Denis Leary,  Campbell Scott, Irrfan Khan, with Martin Sheen and Sally Field

Release Year: 2012

 Rating: PG-13

The Social Network

 The Social Network

The Social Network is a biopic of the creation of Facebook and the aftermath of the creation. The film had an amazing cast with Jesse Eisenberg as Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg. The film was very good getting 8 Academy Award nomiations(including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor(Eisenberg)) winning Best Film Editing, Best original Score, and Best Adapted Screenplay as well as winning Best Picture-Drama, Best Director,Best Original Score, and Best Screenplay at the Golden Globes. I loved the music and I was saddened by the amazing story. Amazing Movie: 9/10.

Director: David Fincher

Music:Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross

Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake, Armie Hammer, Max Minghella, Josh Pence, Brenda Song and Rooney Mara

Release Year: 2010
Rating: PG-13 

The Avengers

The Avengers

Joss Whedon brings us the 3rd top grossing film of all time and a superhero classic with The Avengers.The film stars superhero stars Robert Downey Jr.(Iron Man), Chris Evans(Captain America) and Chris Hemsworth(Thor). The visual effects earned itself an Oscar nomination. The acting was very good as well as the directing and writing. The music by Alan Silvestri brought itself greatness. The film was one of the three comic book films of 2012. It had an all star cast, and was very good in all reality. Sadly it did not bring the exact amount of greatness as I wanted. 7/10.

Director:Joss Whedon

Music: Alan Silvestri

Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Scarlett Johanson, Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddelston, Clark Gregg, Cobie Smulders, Paul Bettany, Gwyneth Paltrow, Alexis Denisof, with Stellan Skarsgard and Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury

Release Year: 2012
Rating: PG-13 

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

2012 brought us many films, one of them being the start of the prequel trilogy to The Lord of the Rings Films. The film brought back Lord of the Rings stars Galadriel(Cate Blanchett), Frodo(Elijah Wood), Old Bilbo(Ian Holm), Elrond(Hugo Weaving), Saruman(Christopher Lee), Gollum(Andy Serkis), and Gandalf(Ian Mckellan). The film is the first of three directed by Peter Jackson. THe film now stars Martin Freeman as Bilbo and the Company of 13 dwarves(Thorin, Balin, Dwalin, Gloin, Oin, Kili, Fili, Dori, Nori, Ori, Bifur, Bofur, and Bombur). It has amazing special effects, great music and was nominated for 3 acadmy awards. Altogether it was a good film, but not as good as I hoped. I give it a 7/10.

Director: Peter Jackson

Music: Howard Shore

Cast: Martin Freeman, Ian Mckellan, Richard Armitrage, Ken Stott, Graham McTavish, William Kircher, James Nesbitt, Stephen Hunter, Aidan Turner, Dean O' Gorman, John Callin, Peter Hambelton,Jed Brophy, Mark Hadlow, Adam Brown, Sylvester McCoy with Ian Holm, Cate Blanchett, Hugo Weaving, Elijah Wood, Christopher Lee and Andy Serkis as "Gollum"

Release Year: 2012
Rating: PG-13 

Super 8

Super 8

The 2011 sci-fi thriller was what you could call marvelous. No one will ever stop making sci-fi. The world needs sci-fi, so this made an amazing contribution to sci-fi. The J.J. Abrams film was a wonderful film based in the 70's about 6 children who want to make a movie to put in a film festival. The acting was amazing with so many breakout stars, and they made it an amazing film. The story was very intricate and funny thanks to J.J. Abrams. Michael Giachino blew me away with his amazing music which brought the exact right tone for everything. I loved this film so I'm gonna givie it a 8/10.

Director: J.J. Abrams

Music: Michael Giachino

Cast: Joel Courtney, Kyle Chandler,Riley Griffiths, Elle Fanning, Ryan Lee, Gabriel Basso, Ron Eldard, Zach Mills
Release Year: 2011
Rating: PG-13 

The Dark Knight Rises

The Dark Knight Rises

The epic end to the 7 year trilogy was an amazing Christopher Nolan film. The cast was amazing with Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman, Joseph-Gordon Levitt, Anne Hathaway, Marion Cortiland, Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine. The film was spectacularly written as most Nolan films usually are. The film was the last in the trilogy following up 8 years off The Dark Knight. If you have not seen the predecessors(Batman Begins, The Dark Knight Rises) it will be hard to understand at times, but either way I highly recomend you see it. The music was quite well done, and the costumes were brilliant! The directing was fabulous and so I give this amazing finale a 8/10.

Director: Christopher Nolan 

Music: Hans Zimmer

Cast: Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman, Joseph-Gordon Levitt, Anne Hathaway, Marion Cortiland, with Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine

Release Year: 2012

Rating: PG-13 

The Hunger Games

 

The Hunger Games

The 2012 film based off of the best selling book series, became an international hit on March 23. The film set itself up to follow the books and so, as we now know, they will be making films for Catching Fire(in 2013), Mockingjay Part 1(in 2014), and Mockingjay Part 2(in 2015). The film made by Gary Ross(Pleasentville, and Seabiscuit) starred an all-star cast of Jennifer Lawrence( X-Men First Class, Winter's Bone), Josh Hutcherson(Zathura, Bridge to Terabithia), Liam Hemsworth(The Last Song) and other amazing cast members such as Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Lenny Kraviz, Donald Sutherland, Toby Jones and Stanley Tucci. The thriller film set in the future most likely, showed an amazing storyline thanks to Suzanne Collins(author of the book series). It was an amazing special effects drama, showing the inhumanity of things at certain times in life. The music was fairly good. Altogether it was a well put together film, and not a waste of anyone's money. I know you are probably getting tired of me saying this, but I give it an 8/10.

Director: Gary Ross

Music: James Newton Howard

Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Lenny Kravitz, Wes Bentley, Donald Sutherland, with Toby Jones and Stanley Tucci
Release Year: 2012
Rating: PG-13