Review: The Wolfman

Review: The Wolfman 3 1/2 (out of 5) stars

Starring Beneicio Del Toro as a man who comes home after many years to investigate the death of his brother, The Wolfman (2010) is a retelling of the classic full-moon horror tale. Lawrence Talbot (Del Toro) joins in the search for the creature that has been viciously killing people, including his brother, during the full moon. Talbot soon realizes that there is much more going on than meets the eye when after being bit by the creature, he starts exhibiting mysterious symptoms.

Anthony Hopkins plays Talbot’s reclusive father and Hugo Weaving has a smaller part as the inspector working the case. Emily Blunt plays Gwen, the film’s female lead, and does so with the right balance of damsel and heroine. Her performance, as usual, was flawless. Del Toro and Hopkins, on the other hand were a little more difficult to figure out. Due to the lack of character development in the writing, it is hard to determine whether or not the two portray their characters correctly. Nonetheless, these are all afterthoughts to a generally enjoyable film.

Most impressing was the set design. The Wolfman takes place at the end of the 19th century in England. The Moors were creepy, the town was spooky, and the overall effect was brilliant. The transformation from man to werewolf was also impeccably done with a subtlety that was somewhat wasted on the overall effect (he was a bit too wolf-like, in the end).

Lack of character development aside, the film was nearly perfect for the first 90 minutes, with no unnecessary time-filling scenes to make the audience’s thoughts wander. The last half hour was jam-packed with action, although it did hold one too many clichés for my taste. Overall, The Wolfman is a spooky thriller, perfect for fans of classic 1940’s horror but still bloody enough to satisfy a new generation.

By: Jamie Z.

All photos from IMDB.com

Review: The Cove

The Cove 5 (out of 5) stars


The Cove (DVD 2009) is one of the most haunting, harrowing, and unforgettable movies I’ve ever seen. It is both depressing and inspiring. It keeps you at the edge of your seat. Following former dolphin-trainer Ric O’Barry, this documentary takes you to places you’ve never seen and never wanted to see, but at the end were glad you did.


The Cove mainly takes place in Taiji, Japan, a small fishing town that hides a dark secret. Every year in a tiny secluded cove in Taiji over 20,000 dolphins and whales are slaughtered for seemingly no reason. They are herded into sea pens and meticulously stabbed until they die from stress, shock, blood loss, or drowning.

The film shows actual footage of a daily slaughter (only a fraction of the entire movie, so I recommend fast-forwarding if you really can’t handle it. The rest of the movie is too good to miss.) It was, to be honest, the most horrible thing I have ever seen, yet I could not take my eyes away. The sound of the dolphins cries and the images of the water being stained red are ones that will stay with me forever.


The Cove is up for Best Documentary at the 2010 Academy Awards and has won over 20 others including one at Sundance. And rightly so. Not only is The Cove an informative and eye-opening documentary, it is a heist-like adventure that will keep r nerves on edge. Even if you don’t care about the lives of the dolphins on screen, you can’t help but bite your nails waiting for the outcome of their secret night mission to capture footage of this act.

The scene at the end where Ric O’Barry enters the IWC meeting left me breathless and in tears. The movie left me with the desire to fight for these dolphin’s cause as well as the vow to never support dolphin or whale captivity again.

I recommend everyone see this well-made and eye-opening film. Not only does it inform, but it entertains. Even if you are not a self proclaimed animal rights activist, you can learn more from The Cove in 90 minutes than you ever expected.

By: Jamie Z

10 Favorite Scary Movies For a New Generation- Number 9: The Ruins

Ten Favorite Scary Movies For a New Generation is a movie put together by Jamie and Michelle Z starring both Jamie, Paul C, and lots of others discussing our ten favorite horror films! We're very proud of this film and hope you check it out!

Here is part two, number 9 on our list: The Ruins. To view the rest, you can click on the links for part 1 or part 3 etc.

By: Jamie Z.

Caution: This video contains SPOILERS for the movie The Ruins.

Review: New York, I Love You

New York, I Love You: 2 (out of 5) stars

New York, I Love You, released on DVD in 2010, is a menagerie of celebrities starring in numerous small stories that all take place within the city of New York. Natalie Portman, Maggie Q, Christina Ricci, Robin Wright Penn, Orlando Bloom, Ethan Hawke, Shia LaBeouf and many more make appearances in the somewhat shambled anthology film that is New York, I Love You.

NYILY is based on Paris, je t'aime (Paris, I Love You) which is a similar movie, released in 2006, that has 20 separate stories of love in Paris. Since I was absolutely delighted with Paris, je t'aime, I had high expectations for New York, I Love You. Sadly, I was disappointed.

During most of the stories, I had absolutely no idea what was going on. They had no developmental plots and frankly, no point in even being there. To be honest, I can’t even remember what happened in most of the parts, which is expressive of the confusing forgetfulness that was apparent in the whole movie.

Orlando Bloom and Christina Ricci’s story was cute in that it showed a relationship developing between two people over the phone who didn’t know each other (and I am being biased because I like both of the two). The storyline featuring Olivia Thirlby and Anton Yelchin was cute and even a bit humerous. Although I was completely confused at what was happening during Shia Labeouf’s story, his character was still endearing and well-played.

All in all, NYILY, while sprinkled with stars aplenty, turned out to be one of those movies that celebrities make to show how artsy and creative they are. So if you’re thinking about watching New York, I Love You, skip it and watch Paris, je t'aime instead.

By: Jamie Z

Review: Inglorious Basterds

Inglorious Basterds (4.5/5)



By: Paul Congiusta

"You know.. this just might be my masterpiece" proclaims Lt. Aldo Raine, the leader of a deceptively lethal group of Nazi-hunting Jewish soldiers in Quentin Tarantino's Inglorious Basterds. He was referring to the Nazi symbol he freshly carved into the forehead of his German nemesis at the end of the film, but some would argue that this is a foreshadowed description of Tarantino's latest screen gem.

Inglorious Basterds is a revenge story woven through multiple chapters and characters connected by the common goal of ultimately defeating their enemies. Marketed to most as a Brad Pitt/Tarantino extravagant action romp through German-occupied France during World War II, this film dives deeper into the characters of their respected time period. While the action set pieces such as the epic climax will surely bring the audience to their feet, it is the wide-shot dramatic encounters throughout the film that truly captures Tarantino's vision.

The film follows Lt. Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) and his hand picked group of Jewish-American soldiers to bring the Nazis a taste of their own medicine during WWII. We also get to follow Shoshanna Dreyfus, the Jewish daughter of a French dairy farmer hell bent on revenge against the Nazis. Her entire family was slaughtered by our scene-stealing villain Col. Hans Landa (played masterfully by Christoph Waltz). Both parties ultimately wind up getting Intel of a German film premiere that will house some of the Third Reich's biggest names, including Hitler himself. Coincidentally it is Shoshanna's theater that gets the privilege to host the premiere, and it is here that her and the Basterds unknowingly hatch the same plan: The destruction of Hitler and the end of the war in Germany.

Inglorious Basterds is a lot of things, but engagingly beautiful is the first word that comes to mind in almost every scene in the film. Tarantino brings his trademark stylized cinematography and witty, free flowing dialogue to the table once again. It seems that each scene has subtle messages hidden within itself. The opening chapter where Col. Landa interrogates a French dairy farmer suspected of housing a Jewish family is frightening, refreshing, quirky and exhilarating all at the same time. The simple and elegant cinematography takes an image of a young Shoshanna shown running from the Germans through a door-frame and turns it into a subtle reference of how tiny the Jews are in comparison to the gigantic Nazi Empire in France.

While it's the dramatic saboteur scenes that draw the emotional energy into the film, it goes without saying that any Tarantino movie will have blood, and lots of it. The violent scenes in which Nazis are destroyed in this movie are done with such a patriotic "Hell yes!" that instead of leaving you squeamish it leaves you satisfied. We get everything from scalpings, swiss-cheese bullet holed nazis, beatings to death by a baseball bat, knives to the face and one very iconic choking scene in this film that electrifies the senses. It's these unexpected yet brutal jolts of action that really grasps the viewer's attention with no turning back. Tarantino carefully wields these violent outburts of blood and death throughout the movie in spots which we are least expecting it. This is, at it's core, a blood pumping revenge movie.

My final word on Inglorious Basterds is simple. This is without a doubt, in my opinion, one of the best films of the year. Christoph Waltz's brooding yet uncomfortably hilarious portrayal of "The Jew Hunter" is perhaps the performance of the year, and is surely the favorite to walk away with an Oscar this season. Tarantino's intertwining revenge tale packed with all of his signature scenes is his triumphant return to old-school cinema. Inglorious Basterds comes highly recommended.

Review: Zombieland

Zombieland: 4 1/2 stars (out of 5)




By: Jamie Z

Zombieland is the zaney but light tale of four people who are trying to survive post-apocalyptic (read: zombie outbreak) America. The main character and narrator Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) starts off traveling alone through "zombieland" the name he has given to a now creature-infested world. He begins by giving us some rules on how to survive such as beware bathrooms, wear your seatbelt, and double-tap (because they're never dead the first time). Using his rules, Columbus is making his way back home to see if his parents are still alive.

Each character in zombieland is named after the place they are from. Columbus first meets up with the ridiculously amusing Tallahassee (played by a loveable Woody Harrelson). Armed with guns, shovels, and other unidentifiable weapons the two head East, Columbus hoping to make it home to Ohio and Tallahassee hoping to get his hands on a long-desired Twinkie.

After being conned a few times by Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigal Breslin), the two eventually join up creating a group of 4 that is now traveling westward towards an amusement park. On the way the encounter more zombies and Bill Murray (who provided an excellent cameo appearance and even poked fun at himself).

Zombieland is better than all of those other zombie movies in that in lacks the end-of-the-world dramatics or evil corporations with even more evil motives. Instead, it is a light-hearted tale of friendship, romance, and survival. The zombies just make it better. Every performance was perfectly done (the cast was amazingly choosen, I must say) even down to the hilarious cameo from Amber Heard in the beginning. It must be fun playing a zombie.

Jesse Eisenberg is endearing and likeable while Woody Harrelson's boyish insanity balences out Columbus's mature levelheadedness. Emma Stone is, as usual, cute and funny while Abigal Breslin proves that she is just as good an actress at 12 as she was at 9.

The simplicity and originality of Zombieland truely sets it apart from other movies and makes it enjoyable for all ages. Zombieland teaches us the most important rule of all, number 32: Enjoy the little things.



Images from IMDB.com

Review: Trick 'r Treat (2008)

Trick ‘R Treat: A Film Full Of Both
4 ½ (out of 5) stars
By: Jamie Zaccaria

Trick ‘r Treat, released on DVD October 2009, is full of both the ingredients of its title. A witty, smart, and enjoyable film, it has instantly become a Halloween classic. Trick ‘r Treat is a movie made up of five different stories, all taking place on Halloween night. A man spends the night with his son in some rather unusual ways, five children explore a local urban legend, a young woman searches for the perfect guy for her first time, a couple disagrees over the spirit of Halloween, and a cranky old man gets visited by some very special guests.

The movie starts off with a not so typical signature kill and continues to explore the less than conventional Halloween nights spent by the colorful cast of characters, including the recently popular Anna Paquin of True Blood. Each story is connected by the presence of a child-like figure, dressed in orange with a bag on their head, whose identity remains largely unknown. Flashes of character interactions provide a timeline of the events that help to keep the film in perspective.

One story features a group of college-aged girls dressed as classic fairy-tale characters, giving the viewers a familiar feel of their own Halloween experiences. But a man in black who stalks women through a street parade makes us realize that perhaps this town isn’t quite so normal. Traditional Halloween themes of candy, jack-o-lanterns, and costumes make this a movie that is relatable to audiences, instilling a feeling of comfort that clashes with the sense of danger in each situation. The combination is truly spine-tingling.

For fans of screaming, jump-out-of-your-seat horror films, this may not be exactly what you’re looking for. You won’t be haunted by faces in the dark or be startled with every scene, but trust me when I say that it is worth a watch. In each segment, we are taught to love Halloween for what it is; a time for jack-o-lanterns, secret identities, scary pranks, and most of all, a respect for the holiday spirit. Those who don’t possess a reverence for Halloween will undoubtedly suffer the consequences.

The intertwining stories create suspense and relieve boredom; it makes you think, but not too much. Trick ‘r Treat tests our perception of innocence and tricks us into feeling safe and predictable before throwing us around a bend of shocking twists and turns. Although not completely terrifying, this movie will still make you look over your shoulder as you walk to your car at night, and think twice about blowing out your jack-o-lantern before midnight. There are many lessons to be learned from this movie, including the classic “do unto others”, appearances can be deceiving, and to have respect for certain traditions. Refreshingly without the typical buckets of bloody gore, a masked killer taking out co-eds, or a haunted residence in New England; Trick ‘r Trick is a breath of fresh air for the horror genre.

By: Jamie Z.

All images from IMDB.com