Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)

Release Date:
November 25, 2009

Director: Wes Anderson
Writer(s): Roald Dahl (novel), Wes Anderson (screenplay)
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy
Language: English
Runtime: 87 mins

Cast
Mr. Fox (voice): George Clooney
Mrs. Fox (voice): Meryl Streep
Ash (voice): Jason Schwartzman
Badger (voice): Bill Murray
Franklin Bean (voice): Michael Gambon

Review


Mr. Fox is asked to put his wild ways behind him as he is now a father. A few fox-years later he could not resist the call to do just one, or three, more raids. I love the weirdness of this film. Weird because none of the animals are proportional compared to real animals, why is a rat taller than a fox? Hilarious. The fact that despite these animals wearing suits and cute outfits while walking around on two legs they sometimes switch into this animalistic faze and snarl and growl and gobble up toast like a beast! I love it!! Fantastic Mr. Fox is super cute, yes I said super cute, funny and has a moral in there somewhere but I'm pretty sure it's not stealing is just, right?

Favorite Quote
Badger: In summation, I think you just got to not do it man. That's all.
Mr. Fox: I understand what you're saying, and your comments are valuable, but I'm gonna ignore your advice.
Badger: The cuss you are.
Mr. Fox: The cuss am I? Are you cussing with me?
Badger: No, you cussing with me?
Mr. Fox: Don't cussing point at me!
Badger: If you're gonna cuss with somebdoy, you're not gonna cuss with me, you little cuss!
Mr. Fox: You're not gonna cuss with me!
[Both start snarling at each other, then settle down]
Mr. Fox: Just buy the tree.
Badger: Okay

Inglourious Basterds (2009)

Release Date:
August 21, 2009

Director: Quentin Tarantino
Writer(s): Quentin Tarantino
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Language: English
Runtime: 153 mins

Cast
Lt. Aldo Raine: Brad Pitt
Shosanna Dreyfus: Melanie Laurent
Col. Hans Landa: Christoph Waltz
Sgt. Donny Donowitz: Eli Roth
Lt. Archie Hicox: Michael Fassbender
Bridget von Hammersmark: Diane 


Review


A new and interesting twist on the take down of the Nazis. During World War II "The Basterds", a group of American soldiers, strike fear in the hearts of the Germans as they hunt for Nazi scalps. They eventually cross paths with a French-Jewish woman, Shosanna Dreyfus, who runs the movie theater where a German film is set to premiere. At this premiere The Basterds plan to kill as many Nazis as possible, the higher the rank the better. The opening scene of this film was nerve racking and single-handedly demonstrates why Christoph Waltz has become the talk of the town. The Basterds make me laugh and cringe. Brad Pitt's performance is priceless not to mention "The Bear Jew", Sgt Donny Donowitz. In a nutshell, Inglourious Basterds is a weird, fun, thrilling and clever. 

Favorite Quote
Lt. Aldo Raine: I'm gonna give you a little somethin' you can't take off.

The Hurt Locker (2008)

Release Date:
October 10, 2008

Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Writer(s): Mark Boal
Genre: Action, Drama, Thriller
Language: English
Runtime: 131 mins

Cast
SSG William James: Jeremy Renner
Sgt. JT Sanborn: Anthony Mackie
Spc. Owen Eldridge: Brian Geraghty
SSG Matt Thompson: Guy Pearce


Review



SSG William James takes position of leader of the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit stationed in Iraq. He immediately causes conflict among his unit members with his daredevil attitude towards war. This is not your typical war film. If you didn't fully understand the meaning of the word suspense watch The Hurt Locker! Every moment of this film has you on the edge of your seat. There is no need for any fancy theatrics, the simple imagery of a man walking towards a bomb in the middle of a war is enough to give you an anxiety attack. Besides all that, the characters portray varying personalities and emotions that you wouldn't expect in the field, which is quite interesting. Sgt. JT Sanborn is a straight shooter by the book kinda guy and Spc. Owen Eldridge is a young scared soldier. Whether you are for or against the war on terror, The Hurt Locker is a well done heart-wrenching film that is sure to entertain.

Favorite Quote
SSG William James: There's enough bang in there to blow us all to Jesus. If I'm gonna die, I want to die comfortable.

Coraline (2009)

Release Date:
February 6, 2009

Director: Henry Selick
Writer(s): Henry Selick (screenplay), Neil Gaiman (novel)
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Fantasy
Language: English
Runtime: 100 mins

Cast
Coraline Jones (voice): Dakota Fanning
Mel Jones/Other Mother (voice): Teri Hatcher
The Cat (voice): Keith David
Charlie Jones/Other Father (voice): John Hodgman


Review


Coraline finds a secret door in her house and on the other side is an alternate version of her life where everyone has buttons for eyes. In this life everything seems perfect but of course looks are deceiving. Although this is supposed to be a movie for kids, it is quite dark and sinister. This edge makes Coraline appealing to adults as well as kids looking for a spook. Very imaginative and strange, Coraline is a cutely-creepy movie you will enjoy.

Favorite Quote
Sweet Ghost Girl: Be clever, Miss. Even if you win, she'll never let you go!