Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

Okay. Right off the bat I have to say I'm one of the biggest Harry Potter fans in the world. I don't care what you say, I'm a bigger fan than you are. I've read all the books over ten times. Yeah, I just said that. So, you can imagine my giddiness when I heard the last movie was going to be split into two episodes. I was psyched. Then I saw the movie. I regretted my happiness for the split. I wished they would've made it one movie. I'll say, despite my craving for more, I enjoyed Harry Potter 7. This Potter might be the most different than any other movie in the series. The way this movie was shot was quite grim, to say the least. It doesn't move with the speed of the other movies, but I enjoyed that. The film starts with Harry, or actually seven Harrys, being transported to seven safe houses. It then goes into Harry, Hermione, and Ron's journey to destroy pieces of Voldemort's soul (otherwise known as horcruxes). They encounter some very dangerous obstacle's along the way, one of which is themselves. They then learn from Luna Lovegood's (a classmate of theirs from Hogwarts) eccentric father that one of the ways to defeat Voldemort is with the Deathly Hallows. The Deathly Hallows are three items that possess great power, each of them having to do with death. The elder wand is an unbeatable wand. The resurrection stone has the power to (you guessed it) resurrect people from the dead. Almost. And finally, the invisibility cloak. This is the only hallow Harry already has in his possession. Not only does it make him invisible to other people, but to death as well. Harry, Ron and Hermione learn about the Hallows from a children's story called the Tale of the Three Brothers. The scene where Hermione tells the story is beautifully done. It's shot very Tim Burton-esque. The movie is primarily a two and a half hour trailer for the next one, but nonetheless it's one of the best trailers I've seen in a while.

Studio: Warner Brothers

Actors: Daniel Radcliff (Harry Potter), Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley), Emma Watson (Hermione Granger), Ralph Finnes (Voldemort

Release: Wide

DVD Release: TBD

Recap: A-

Red

Retired Extremely Dangerous. Bruce Willis leads this ex-CIA squad of golden oldies. Willis plays Frank Moses, a (you guessed it) retired CIA agent. The CIA is trying to kill him because of what he knows about a mission that the government put him up to. Karl Urban is the CIA agent trying to kill him. Red is a mindlessly fun movie that kinda gets the job done. It's alright, not as good as some movies that I've seen, but enjoyable enough. I think John Malkovich's acting is genius and hysterical as Marvin Boggs, an extremely paranoid genius who is incredible at noticing details. I thought the plot line in Red was a bit hard to follow. But, being a fourteen-year-old movie critic, the awesome action sequences made up for that. There's one awesome action sequence by a dock that's wicked cool. I really enjoyed all the actors in this. I liked the movie itself, I just thought it could be better. I wish I could have enjoyed this movie more, but for what it was, it was ok. Which is why I'm giving it a B.

Studio: Summit Entertainment

Actors: Bruce Willis (Frank Moses), John Malkovich (Marvin Boggs), Mary-Louise Parker (Sarah Ross), Morgan Freeman (Joe Matheson), Helen Mirren (Victoria)

Release: Wide

DVD Release: TBD

Recap: B

Secretariat

First off, I apologize for my long absence. I got caught up in summer and I'm just upset with myself that I didn't write more. Second, Secretariat was great. Not awesome, but an enjoyable movie. I haven't seen a movie in awhile thanks to the absence of movies (and rides to them). But watching Secretariat reminds me why I've chosen to be a movie critic. The thrill of watching a good movie always excites me. You get into the movie, feel for the characters, and cheer for them down the final stretch. You're sad for them when they're going through troubles. That's the mark of a good movie. How you feel about the characters changes everything about how you feel about the movie. If you feel good by the end, the cast and crew have done their job. And good is what I felt by the end of Secretariat. Diane Lane's acting was a bit forced, but all in all, I liked it. John Malkovich is an acting genius. I loved him in this movie. Seabiscuit was amazing, but it was a different story. I liked Secretariat. It was great.

Studio: Walt Disney Pictures

Actors: Diane Lane (Penny Chenery), John Malkovich (Lucien Laurin)

Release: Wide

DVD Release: TBD

Recap: B+

Toy Story 3

"Wow" was the first thought that came to mind when Disney/Pixar announced they were making a third Toy Story. My second thought was how are they going to make it as good as the first two? Toy Story 1 & 2 were two of my favorite movies ever. Now there's a third to add to the list. "Wow" was the first thought after the third movie as well. Toy Story 3 has more heart and emotion than most live action movies. The animation Pixar creates is beautiful. I've never seen such emotion come from an animated cowboy toy or a spaceman action figure. TS3 has something for everyone. Action, comedy, romance, and much more. I can't get over the authenticity of some of the characters. The film is one of (if not) my favorite Disney/Pixar movies ever. TS3 starts with Andy packing up for college and deciding which toys to throw away, put in the attic, or take with him (that last one is reserved for only the best toy). Andy decides to put most of the gang in a trash bag... to go in the attic. Woody though is put in the college box. The toys in the trash bag think they're being thrown away (I mean, wouldn't you if you were put in a trash bag). Apparently, so does Andy's mother, who accidentally leaves them for the garbage truck. Luckily, Woody saves them. Well sort of. They get out, and decide to go in the day-care box. Big mistake. They go to the day-care center, and at first, think it's heaven. It's run by a big plush bear named Lotso who is seemingly very nice. He has two right hand men, a big baby (who is actually a girl, and really creepy) and Ken, Barbie's soon-t0-be boyfriend - the minute they set eyes on each other they know it was meant to be. Lotso tells the whole gang they'll all be played with every day by lots of kids, and won't have any owners. No owners means no heartbreak. I can't spoil the ending but, it is hilarious when Buzz is accidentally reset to Spanish mode. I don't think I've ever laughed so hard at an animated movie. It was great. Everything about this movie worked. I loved every minute of it. My first A movie. I reserve A's and A+ for only the best movies. This is the best movie I've seen all year.

Studio: Disney/Pixar

Actors: Tom Hanks (Woody), Tim Allen (Buzz Lightyear), Joan Cusak (Jesse), Ned Beatty (Lotso), Michael Keeton (Ken), Jodi Benson (Barbie)

Release: Wide

DVD Release: TBD

Recap: A

Photo courtesy of Disney/Pixar

The A-Team

I really enjoyed the A-Team. I've never seen the original TV series, but this was awesome. There was comedy, action, a funny and fresh script, and great actors. Sharlto Copley -amazing as Wickus in District 9 - here plays a totally opposite type of character. Funny, cool and a bit insane. Kind of like me. The movie starts out in Mexico where Face (played brilliantly by Bradley Cooper) is about to be hanged. At the last minute, he's saved by Hannibal Smith (Liam Neeson) and Baracus or B.A. (played by Rampage Jackson). They all have to escape, and to do that they need a pilot. So they go to a psychiatric hospital and find Murdock (Copley), who happens to be the pilot they need. They're then framed for a crime they didn't commit, and sent to different prisons. But since they're, you know, the A-Team, they escape and proceed to go after the person who set them up. Copley - brilliant and funny - is definitely the stand-out performance. At one point, out of nowhere, he does a hilarious Braveheart impersonation. Busy and overblown, I still really liked this movie.

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Actors: Liam Neeson (Hannibal Smith), Bradley Cooper (Faceman Peck), Quinton "Rampage" Jackson (B.A. or Baracus), Sharlto Copley (Murdock), Jessica Biel (Charisa Sosa)

Release: Wide

DVD Release: TBD

Recap: B+

Photo Courtesy of 20th Century Fox

Iron Man 2

One of the most fun things about being a teenager is that you can go to a midnight and go to school the next day (or at least, I did, my friend stayed home the rest of the day, wimp). I went to the midnight show of this movie, and I loved it. Not only the experience, but also the movie. I was a huge fan of the first iron man but this one was amazing. I always like Robert Downey Jr. I think he was great in this. The movie starts out just where the last one ended. With him saying he is Iron Man. But there is a problem, his iron man core has been hurting him. As Jarvis says, "The machine that is keeping him alive is also killing him." He then has a flash of genius, he makes Pepper Pots the CEO of Stark Industries. This does not go over well with the press. Meanwhile, there is a man named Ivan Vanko. He is the son of Howard Stark's coworker. He has hated Tony Stark forever because his father was exported because of Howard Stark. He creates an Iron man suit that has whips. Then there is chaos. Everything works in this movie. Robert Downey Jr. is great and so is Sam Rockwell. The writing in this movie is so snappy, so fresh. Just like it was in the first movie. I really enjoyed this movie. The only thing I would change is that it would be just a little bit shorter. Other than that, a fantastic movie.

Studio: Paramount Pictures

Director: Jon Favreau

Actors: Robert Downey Jr. (Tony Stark), Gwyneth Paltrow (Pepper Pots), Don Cheadle (James Rhodes/War Machine)

Release: Wide

DVD Release: TBD

Recap: A-

Picture Courtesy of 20th Century Fox.

The Last Song

I know what you're thinking. Why did a thirteen-year-old movie critic go see a movie with Miley Cyrus as the lead. Well, I wasn't thinking, "Wow I'm in the mood for a Miley Cyrus movie!" I was dragged to it with my little sister. And let me tell you, it's the last time I'll ever be dragged to a Miley Cyrus movie. The film is about a young girl named Ronnie whose divorced mom ships her and her brother off to Ronnie's dad. Once there, she meets a boy named Will and - bet you didn't see this coming - falls in love with him. She's also not so hot on the idea of going to her dad's for the summer. Her father loves her but, Ronnie wants to spend her summer otherwise (or maybe otherwhere). Her father is trying to finish a piece of music he's writing, and we also find out that Ronnie was a child prodigy at the piano. Julliard accepted her without an application, but ever since her parents split up, she stopped playing. This movie is like every other bad love story movie. The only difference is that Greg Kinnear was in this one and he saves it. If he wasn't in this jumble of Miley, there's no doubt I'd have given this movie an F. I didn't think Miley Cyrus was any good in this movie. I thought it could have (and should have) been anyone besides her. I really hope she gets better at acting. The guy who was in this wasn't terrible, but he had nothing to do but kiss Miley Cyrus. A pretty easy acting job. And now he's her boyfriend in real life - funny how things work out. I wish everyone in the movie was as good as Greg Kinnear. If they were, I would give this an A. But no one was even close. Which is why I have to give it a D.

Studio: Touchstone Pictures
Director: Julie Anne Robinson
Actors: Miley Cyrus (Ronnie Miller), Greg Kinnear (Steve Miller), Liam Hemsworth (Will Blakelee)
Release: Wide
DVD Release: TBD
Recap: D

Photo Courtesy of Touchstone Pictures

Clash of the Titans

Clash of the Terrible 3-D and A Bad Script was the previous title (they thought it would be hard to advertise). Anyway, this movie is a jumble of crazy things. Greek gods, monsters, Medusa, that guy from Casino Royale (no not Daniel Craig, though I wish he was the lead instead of Sam Worthington who I found extremely boring), and a demigod. Scratch that, two demigods. The first is Perseus son of Zeus. Sounds kinda familiar if you saw Percy Jackson, doesn't it. Perseus was almost murdered by his step-dad. Guess he's got daddy problems. He's adopted by a fisherman and his family. He learns the trade and he's happy. That only lasts a few minutes until Hades (god of the underworld) destroys his family. Very sad. Then he's found by a few army guys. He is taken to Argos where he goes to the royal court. Hades shows up there again and kills a lot more people. Very Sad. Perseus then has to go on a hunt to get the head of Medusa so he can kill Hades' pet Kraken. Again, sounds familiar if you've seen Pirates of the Carribean two which was almost as bad as this. I thought Sam Worthington was fine in Avatar. In this, he's really boring. So is the script, and most of the other actors. There's one moment going into Medusa's lair where Perseus gives one of the cheesiest speeches I've ever heard. I was cracking up in the theater. It was hilariously terrible. Kinda like most of the movie. I wish Sam Worthington and the rest of the cast had been better. But they weren't, so I have to give this movie a C-

Studio: Warner Brothers
Director: Louis Leterrier
Actors: Liam Neeson (Zeus), Ralph Finnes (Hades), Sam Worthington (Perseus)
Release: Wide
DVD Release: TBD
Recap: C-

Photo Courtesy of Warner Brothers Pictures.

How to Train Your Dragon

How to Train Your Dragon is one of those movies you have to see in 3-D. While movies like Alice in Wonderland and Avatar are better in 3-D, How to Train Your Dragon lives for 3-D. The flight and battle scenes are amazing. This is a movie that will be cherished forever. HTTYD takes place on a faraway island where vikings battle dragons. The lead in the movie is Hiccup, son of the town chief. Hiccup has always wanted to live up to his fathers expectations. So when he shoots a dragon (a nightfury no less) he's very pleased with himself. But, when he goes to slay his pray, he realizes the dragons won't harm him unless he harms them. The CGI in this movie is breathtaking. Although, since it's from the same people who created Kung Fu Panda and Shrek, that's to be expected. I really wish all movies could be as good as this one. The voices were spot on. I loved the animation of Toothless (the nightfury) and Craig Ferguson is awesome as usual (not that I get to stay up late to see Craig Ferguson. Much.). I really enjoyed Gerard Butler's voice as Hiccup's dad. It's perfect for a Scottish place. I hope this movie does as well as Up did at the box office. I think it was every bit as good. If not better.

Studio: DreamWorks
Directors: Dean DeBlois, Chris Sanders
Actors: Jay Baruchel (Hiccup), Gerard Butler (Stoick), Craig Ferguson (Gobber), America Ferrera (Astrid)
Release: Wide
DVD Release: TBD
Recap: A-

Photo Courtesy of DreamWorks animation

Alice in Wonderland

What happens when you mix Lewis Carrol, Tim Burton, and a healthy shot of Johnny Depp? You get arguably the strangest movie ever made. That's one of the things I loved about this movie. It takes place in England where 19 year-old Alice is in modern times. She's being proposed to by a particularly snooty guy. Right in the middle of his proposal, she sees a rabbit. But not just any rabbit. A rabbit with a pocket watch (we all know what that means). Soon she finds herself falling down a rabbit hole. Then comes the most boring scene in the movie. Ten minutes of Alice trying to get a key and then trying to get small or tall. Finally she gets out and is in Wonderland which is now overruled by the Red Queen. Everyone wants the White Queen to be in power but sadly, she's not (tough luck for you Alice). She later encounters the Mad Hatter, a blue caterpillar smoking from a hookah, and a totally deranged rabbit. Alice finds out she has to slay a horrible creature called the Jabberwocky. But, she doesn't want to. It all leads up to a great battle between the White Queen and her army of chess pieces (which are all white), and the Red Queen with her army of playing cards (which are all hearts). This movie is extremely weird, which makes it amazing. I loved Mia Wasikowska in her role as Alice, but I think the best performance comes from Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter. There is one scene at the end where he is talking to Alice about what will happen after the battle - it was beautiful. I didn't really like Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen with her "Off with the head" line every twenty minutes. But, I guess all movies can't be perfect. Visually it was pretty cool. Which is another thing I loved about it. I hope Alice falls in the rabbit hole say three years from now and makes another movie as good as this one.

Studio:Walt Disney Pictures
Director:Tim Burton
Actors: Mia Wasikowska (Alice), Johnny Depp (the Mad Hatter), Helena Bonham Carter (the Red Queen
Release: Wide
DVD Release: TBD
Recap: B+

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Or should I say, Diary of a Wimpy movie? Sadly this movie lacks some of the main elements that make movies great. There were some laughs, but mostly the movie was the kid getting in trouble and being a jerk. Not a great movie. I loved Steve Zahn in "That Thing You Do!", but here his performance was - like the rest of the movie - mediocre. Diary of a Wimpy Kid takes place in a middle school where Greg Heffley is destined for greatness if he just wasn't stuck in school with "a bunch of morons." Zachary Gordon who plays Greg also gives a mediocre performance. There are however two very good performances. Greg's friend Rowley (Robert Capron) is really funny, his timing is great and he's perfectly awkward. Greg's brother (Devon Bostick) on the other hand is a drum-playing-older-brother-I'm-not-touching-you kind of guy. He is also one of my favorite actors in the movie because he plays the older brother normally (maybe a little meaner), but funnier. I really wish the movie was as good as these two. But it's not. I regret to say it's one that will be just fine to watch on DVD.

Studio: 20th Century Fox
Director: Thor Freudenthal
Actors:Zachary Gordon (Greg Heffley), Robert Capron (Rowley Jefferson), Devon Bostick (Rodrick Heffley)
Release:Wide
DVD Release:TBD
Recap:C-

Photo Courtesy of 20th Century Fox

Percy Jackson & the Olympians: the Lightning Thief

I know - by the time you're done saying the title the movie's over. If it only went by that fast. Percy Jackson, a young boy with dyslexia and ADHD lives in New York with his mother and his stepfather Gabe, a smelly jerk who likes beer and poker. While on a field trip, his english teacher turns into a demented bird and almost kills him (hope Percy had a permission slip). He finds out his father was really Poseidon (God of the sea) and that's why the freaky bird thing (called a Fury) tried to kill him. Percy is then sent to a camp called Camp Half-Blood (but not before his mom is taken by a minotaur) where he finds out his friend Grover is actually a saytr. Following so far? He meets a girl named Annabeth and he's lovestruck. They then have to go on a quest to get three pearls so he can get his mom back. On his quest, he meets Medusa, gets lost in a casino, and is almost killed by a ten headed dragon. I (being a thirteen year old boy) love action movies. But I don't like it when the effects are cheesy like they are here. Unfortunately, the writing was too. I liked the main character, and I think the whole Greek mythology thing is pretty cool. The problem is that as a piece, it became tiresome and a bit predictable. I hope the next one in the series - and there will be a next one - is better. At least spend a little more on the effects budget.

Studio: Fox 2000
Director: Chris Colombus
Actors: Logan Lerman (Percy Jackson), Brandon T. Jackson (Grover), Alexandra Daddario (Annabeth).
Release:Wide
DVD Release: TBD
Recap: B-

Photo Courtesy of Fox 2000

Tooth Fairy

Tooth Fairy is, well, to put it bluntly, pretty boring. I wasn't crazy to go see this movie and I wasn't completely avoiding it. I can't say I hated it, because I didn't. I also can't say I loved it and you should go see it while it's in the movie theaters. Tooth Fairy stars Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as Derek Thompson, a hockey player in the minor leagues after a huge hit in the majors dropped him down into the minors. He's dating a woman named Carly (Ashley Judd). Carly has two kids, a twelve year old boy and a six year old girl who believe in the tooth fairy. Derek never believed in that kind of stuff so he tells this innocent, sweet little girl that there's no tooth fairy (well sort of). Doing that, he receives a summons from the council of the tooth fairies. There, he meets up with a fairy named Tracy (and I know this is going to sound ludicrous, he is a guy) who in my opinion, is the funniest actor and the best in this whole movie, with the exception of Billy Crystal who is only in the movie for about 7 minutes tops. Derek then finds out being a tooth fairy isn't that easy. All in all, this movie isn't worth nine or ten dollars for each person in your group. Then again, there are some laughs that are pretty well worth it (pretty much all of them come from Tracy). Not terrible, not great. It kind of hurts me to see Dwayne Johnson doing these types of films when he has grown into being a pretty good comedic actor. I hope to see him in better.

Studio: Twentieth Century Fox
Director:Michael Lembeck
Actors: Dwayne Johnson (Derek Thompson), Stephen Merchant (Tracy)
Release: Wide
DVD Release: TBD
Recap: C

Photo Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox.

My Five Favorite Movies of All Time

I haven't reviewed a movie in awhile. So to make up for it, I decided to tell you my favorite movies of all time. At least all my time. Please feel free to leave any comments to tell me some of your favorite movies.

1. The Iron Giant PG
Why: This is the first movie I remember seeing, and it's still my favorite. It's every kids dream; finding a robot from outer space and making it your friend. I thought the movie in general was awesome. Hogarth is probably my favorite movie character ever. It's also from one of my favorite directors ever, Brad Bird. He has a way of making every movie so real and so entertaining. He also directed The Incredibles and Ratatouille (two of my favorite Pixar movies). The writing is so creative. If I had to chose one movie to watch for the rest of my life, it would be this movie.
Who: Brad Bird (director), Eli Marienthal (Hogarth Hughes), Harry Connick Jr. (Dean McCoppin), Vin Diesel (Iron Giant), Christopher McDonald (Kent Mansley)

2. District 9 R
Why: If you read my favorite movies of 2009 you'll know this was my favorite. It's so thought provoking, and directed perfectly. The acting is amazing and I hope Sharlto Coopley gets nominated, if not wins for best actor. It was made for a relatively small amount (30 million) whereas Avatar was made for about 400 million plus. I wish it would have had a better run than it did. But it was a great movie nevertheless.
Who: Neil Blomkamp (director), Sharlto Coopley (Wikus Van De Merwe)

3. Toy Story 2 G
Why: Toy Story 2 is my favorite Pixar movie. It's such a fun movie. As you might have guessed, it's the sequel to Toy Story. It was a close race, but Toy Story 2 turned out to be my favorite. I liked how they introduced many new characters, as well as brought back some of the favorites. I loved the plot and everything about it was great.
Who: John Lasseter (director), Ash Brannon (co-director), Tom Hanks (Woody), Tim Allen (Buzz Lightyear)

4. Ghostbusters
Why: This movie has one of my favorite comedic actors in it. Bill Murray. This movie is hilarious. I have never seen so many funny lines packed into one movie and not have it get cheesy. I saw this movie and I kept laughing about the lines after it was over. The plot is New York gets infested with ghosts. That alone is laughable (and not in a good way) but the actors find a way to make it funny.
Who: Ivan Reitman (director), Bill Murray (Peter Venkman), Dan Aykroyd (Raymond Stantz), Harold Ramis (Egon Spengler).

5.The Prestige
Why: I've never seen a movie that made me think more than the Prestige. The plot is, two magicians - who had been friends - keep trying to one up each other when one of their wives gets killed and one thinks the 0ther did it. I wish there had been a sequel. I think Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale give their best performances of their life.
Who: Chris Nolan (director), Hugh Jackman (Robert Angier), Christian Bale (Alfred Borden).

I hope you see all of these movies. They are each amazing and insanely awesome.

Leap Year

My first post of the New Year, and I'm glad it was Leap Year. As you know, I review movies I can see to the best of my abilities. I'll tell you, this wasn't at the top of my to-see list. I'm not one for romantic comedies. I'm thirteen, hello? And not many thirteen-year-old boys go to romantic comedies. I'm glad I didn't miss out. Leap Year is awesome. I haven't seen many romantic comedies, and I loved it. It's very moving and I know, we've seen this story a thousand times; she's gonna get married and she meets someone she really loves and, well, you know the ending. But, Leap Year is so different, so funny, and so good. Amy Adams is one of my favorite actresses and she is awesome in this movie. Also, most of it takes place in Ireland and I love a good Irish accent. The ending is pretty cool, and I really enjoyed it. See, one of the things a movie has to have is a great ending. An ending that leaves you happy and content. It has to feel like it's resolved. I loved that this movie did this. I most likely will see this movie again.

Studio: Universal Pictures
Director: Anand Tucker
Actors: Amy Adams (Anna), Matthew Goode (Declan), Adam Scott (Jeremy)
Release:Wide
DVD Release:TBD
Recap: B+

Photo Courtesy of Universal Pictures