Vanilla Sky REVIEW

The Motion Picture Buff would like to present a review for the 2001 film, Vanilla Sky, starring Tom Cruise. In this film a successful publisher who has it all gets into a car accident, when he tells a jaded lover of his that he doesn't want to be with her. After the accident his whole life takes a turn in the wrong direction.

Before I start this review I want to say that I am going to format my reviews a little differently. Before I used to do one paragraph on negatives and another on the positives. Now I think I want to meld the negatives and positives together and just write how I feel about a movie in different but similar paragraph format. This is just a warning if your a little confused on why it was different all of a sudden. I just want to see how this works, and if I don't like it (or you don't) I will go back to my old way. I will still do my summary of the review at the end though. 

So this movie was quite interesting to be honest. Part of me was enjoying this movie, but then there was another part of me that was like . . . "WHEN IS THIS MOVIE GOING TO END." I found this movie to be very slow. There were points in the movie where I thought of shutting it off because I found no value in what was going on the screen. Tom Cruise though did an excellent job with his character, which kept me somewhat involved in the movie. Tom Cruise has always been a great actor, and he does a great job in this movie, he is what is driving this movie in my opinion. With his character he has to jump from one emotion to the next and to the next. The character he plays, David Aames, has experienced an emotional roller coaster and Tom plays out it perfectly. The chemistry between him and Penelope Cruz is great as well. You can see it in there eyes, that they actually do care for each other. They worked perfectly together.

Now I always like to talk about the story of a movie. In, Vanilla Sky, they had an interesting story, but it was extremely boring and not to mention extremely confusing. Throughout watching this entire movie I never really knew what the heck was going on. From the very beginning I was just down right confused. I was asking myself, "Why is this happening? What does this have to do with the story?" In the end of the movie everything was somewhat explained, but I was still in a general confusion of what happened. Director, Cameron Crowe, really played around with the storyline of this script and in my opinion made the movie so much more confusing than it needed to be. The end of the film, like the last 20-30 minutes is probably the best part of the film because you start understanding the whole thing, but in the end you still finish the movie thinking what the heck did I just watch.

Each and every movie in my opinion has a lesson, a tone, or even a feel to this movie that drives it. Usually you can pick that up near the beginning of the movie, in this movie you don't get what is driving the idea behind this movie until the very end. I like what is driving this movie but I feel like if the movie had hinted at it earlier along in the film, I think everyone would have understood it more.

Summing up this review I would have to say that it is somewhat enjoyable and interesting once you get to the end and start understanding it. It has some pretty good acting in it that I did enjoy, but the whole ride of the movie leaves you with so many questions. Watching this movie you might want to shut it off, but stick around for the end because that it where it gets more enjoyable. I would give this movie a rent worthy rating. It is not worth a buy in my opinion because you are only going to want to watch it once and that is it. Vanilla Sky is one of those movies you should make sure you are paying attention to the whole time though, just to make sure you don't get more confused than you already are. As for the rating I would give Vanilla Sky a 5/10 star rating.

Well lets hope you enjoyed this review of Vanilla Sky. It was a little different talking about it in this way but I hope it works. Leave you comments below or even on the Facebook Page. I look forward to hearing what you have to say. Well stay tuned for more . . . coming soon.

Noah Mark Bitney

Captian America: The First Avenger REVIEW

The Motion Picture Buff would like to present a review of Captian America: The First Avenger. This film is about a man who is a solider at heart but is deemed unfit to serve. After countless of attempts to be enlisted he is chosen to become a new breed of super soldiers. This turns him into a solider who is branded by the USA to defend the United States, becoming the worlds first superhero.

So I am going to go out and say it that this Avenger film would have to be my least favorite. Like I had said in my Thor review, this film has way to much of a comic book feel to it. It is really childish and just silly. The whole feel of this movie just does not seem to be right in my opinion. This movie has a hard time trying to find what it exactly wants to be in my opinion. At one point it is focused one thing, but then it moves to the next and then the next. The movie (in my opinion) does not flow smoothly together. It seems choppy. The other thing about this movie is that it is boring. The villain (played by Hugo Weaving) is acted well by Hugo, but you don't care about the villain. He doesn't seem to have a reason for what he is doing and you don't get enough action with him.

Moving on I do like who they picked for the Captian America in this film. Chris Evans has been in a Marvel film before, as the Human Torch in Fantastic Four. He is a good superhero actor and it is nice to see him in a lead role. He pulls of the emotionality that is Captian Rodgers. Captian Rodgers isn't just some arrogant person who got picked to be a super solider, he was a wimpy kid who was shorter than most women even. Chris Evans did a great job. Most of the acting in the film was done great. They picked the right cast for this film. Tommy Lee Jones, Hugo Weaving, Stanley Tucci, Sebastian Stan, and many other were all just great in this film. The other things I did like about this movie was, how it really tied the rest of the Avenger movies together. The way they played out the movies actually did work and I am glad that Captian America: The First Avenger was the last one right before The Avengers. The last thing I wanted to mention was that I actually did enjoy the cinematography in this movie. It seemed to work for the feel this movie was giving off.

Now all-in-all Captian America: The First Avenger was a decent movie that with quite a few tweeks could have been a lot better. I mean it is a fine addition to the Avengers franchise, but it could have been a lot better. I will of course give this movie a must-see rating because it is a must-see in order to see The Avengers. I would say that it is really only rent worthy though, or I will go even as high as a DVD buy worthy. It works for a movie night, but its not a movie you want to watch over and over again, it is just not that good. As for the rating I will give Captian America: The First Avenger a 6/10 rating.

Well before I close this I want to say sorry about the lateness of this review, I hope you do enjoy it. I am trying to do more reviews . . . so I hope you will stay tuned for those. I plan on seeing Gravity tomorrow night so stay tuned later tomorrow night and into Saturday for the review of that movie. I am really excited for that movie. So again stay tuned for more . . . coming soon.

Noah Mark Bitney

Planes REVIEW

The Motion Picture Buff would like to present a review of the Disney film, Planes. This film is about a crop-dusting plane who has the dream of competing in a race that goes around the world. That is the simple premise of this kids animated film.

Lets begin with the negatives of this film. Hmm . . . well lets just say that there are quite a few things wrong with this film. First of all I would like to mention that the dialogue in this movie sucks. The voices for the characters are just choppy and obviously recorded. Normally when watching an animated movie I forget that its people giving the animated object its voice. This movie did not do it well though in my opinion. Moving on to the topic of the characters I would have to say that I did not give a care in the world about them. They were dull, obvious, and just not interesting at all to me. The last thing I do want to mention is the fact that the story was just obvious and so not intriguing. With this movie you have seen the same formula over and over again. So it was kind of a snore.

To mention some good things that I enjoyed about this movie I would have to say that it was kind of cute. I mean most kid movies are pretty darn adorable. This movie looks a lot like the movie Cars, as it is from the people who made Cars. One thing I also enjoyed was the link between the Cars world and the world of Planes. It worked out well.

Well all-in-all this movie will most likely entertain any child, but if your picking a movie to watch with the kids your watching/babysitting this movie would not be it. So yeah its a kid movie that I would only buy for your kids on DVD, NOT Blu-Ray. For the rating I would give Disney's Planes a 2/10 rating. Its not a good movie in my opinion. I was bored watching the movie.

Well I hope you enjoyed this short review of Planes. Make sure you tune back in later today actually, I plan on reviewing another movie. So stay tuned for more awesomeness.

Noah Mark Bitney

Mirror Mirror REVIEW

The "Motion Picture Buff" would like to present a review for the movie "Mirror Mirror" starring Julia Roberts. In this film an evil queen stole control of the kingdom. She wants Snow White dead so she stays the fairest of them all, and also so she continues to be queen. After Snow White is exiled into the dark forrest she befriends dwarf bandits who help her regain her birthright.

So I think I should start with the positives that come with this movie shall I? It's going to be a short list. There is humor in it that maybe and I mean maybe makes you smile. Julia Roberts is just different in this film which in a sense I kinda love, and just the cast all around are enjoyable in this film.

The rest of the film is just crap I am going to have to say. The whole plot is just childish and completely unoriginal. You just sit their thinking, "What did I get myself into?" When I said this movie is childish, well I am not saying it is for children either. It would be a good children movie if it wasn't trying so hard, but instead we get a sorry use of film. The whole film is just over the top goofy. The cinematography too is just different and over the top. Its a strain on your eyes.  The humor I said maybe makes you smile but most of the time it is just so childish you just sit their and think, "Was this supposed to be funny?" Throughout the film you should develop with the characters and care, but in all reality you just want the movie to be over. The whole movie goes over in a blur and the whole time you were just bored out of your mind. Then the ending is just terribly quick and seems extremely unnatural. Plus it was a sad moment to see the actor that was in this film . . . really you can do better than this film.

So all-in-all I can't even create a normal sized review for "Mirror Mirror" because I have already said all I can say about it. For the ratings I will give it the last-minute rent worthy rating. Want some humor and your really can't find ANYTHING else you might as well choose this. You might find some enjoyment. As for the rating, "Mirror Mirror" is going to get a 1.5/5 star rating, just cause I loved the cast and some of the humor. Plus it's Snow White with a twist.

Well thank you for reading and I really hope you enjoyed this review. Now before I go make sure you follow the "Motion Picture Buff's" OFFICIAL Twitter page HERE! Make sure you also "Like" the "Motion Picture Buff's" OFFICIAL Facebook page HERE as well. So make sure you stay tuned for more . . . coming soon.

The Motion Picture Buff

The Green Mile REVIEW

The "Motion Picture Buff" would like to present a review for the movie, "The Green Mile." In this film  the lives of guards on Death Row are affected by one of their charges: a big black man who is accused of child murder and rap, yet has an extraordinary gift.

Well I might as well start off this review with the positives. So, the acting in this film is great! Tom Hanks really gives another great performance like he always does of course. He is really Paul Edgecomb in this film for sure. Then of course I have to mention Micheal Clarke Duncan (may he rest in peace). He really is amazing in this film. I have never seen this movie before, and I was truly moved by his performance in this film. He really gave an amazing performance as John Coffey. David Morse, James Cromwell, Sam Rockwell, Doug Hutchinson, Harry Dean Stanton, Jeffery DeMunn, and Michael Jeter are also in this movie. Well done, well done to all of you! I love it when a movie has a great cast that really fits there characters. It makes a movie so much more enjoyable. This movie script does really good with all the emotions that are in this situation that we are watching. You laugh, you cry, your even terrified, and then at one point your even horrified at what happens. So yes, I thought the movie did a good job with those emotions within the film. The story or premise I guess behind this film was also very good. It was very interesting to watch it play out. Now I do want to mention that the sound effects in this movie were awesome in fact. I usually don't mention sound effects, but in this film I actually noticed how good they were to the scene. I thought the sound team did a good job with this film.

Now I do have a negative to say about this film and I really think that this is the only thing I can think of, otherwise this film was in fact really good. "The Green Mile" really just DRAGS and DRAGS onward slowly. This film probably could have been about two hours long, but instead it is over three. This film just moves along so slowly, and in some spots to slowly. There are points in this film where you are just waiting/ hoping for something exciting to happen, but it probably won't happen for at least another five to ten minutes. Their are actually two more things I wanted to mention. First of all, how and why does John Coffey have the extraordinary gift? I really think they should have explained that? Then there is the fact that would a life sentence last that long? I feel like it would be a lot quicker right?

So all-in-all a slow moving movie that has truly phenomenal performances baked into it. For the ratings I am going to give this film a must-see rating because of Micheal Clarke Duncan's performance along with everyone else's. They all do a really good job. I will give it a DVD buy rating too along with a tour-de-force rating also. As for the rating out of five, "The Green Mile" is going to receive a 3.5/5 rating.

Well thanks for reading this review and I really hope you enjoyed it. Sorry for the delay in reviews, been busy around here but remember I can't promise one everyday anymore. I am attending Full Sail University and I have to work alongside that. I do promise some more tonight though. So make sure you stay tuned for more . . . coming soon.

The Motion Picture Buff

Van Helsing REVIEW

The "Motion Picture Buff" would like to present a review for the film, "Van Helsing." In this movie legendary monster hunter Van Helsing (played by Hugh Jackman) is summoned to Transylvania on a mission. The mission is to stop the evil vampire Dracula and foil his plans.

Well seeing as this movie has a lot of these I am going to start with the negatives of it. Well lets start with the plot and story line eh? First thing to say is, "WOW what a complete mess. The storyline just jumps around and is a complete mess. It is also boring and not at all interesting. In reality it is just creeping and dumb. Stephen Sommers I am sorry to say but your created a poor film here. The scenes are choppy too. Moving onward though I am going to say that the I really hate Kate Beckinsale. She may be good looking and all but nope terrible actress in this film. I would also have to say that really all the acting in this film wasn't the greatest except two actors. It just wasn't the kind that meant anything to me., you know what I mean?  The effects were not that good at all I would have to say, just blah boring. The look of movie too was also annoying because it was always so dark and mysterious (this could also have to do with the direction but Stephen Sommers). It just got confusing and annoying I guess.

Positives that come from this movie? Good make-up on the actors and creating the creatures (well some). Um I would also like to say that Richard Roxburgh did a great job as Count Dracula. There was also Kevin J. O'Conner who played the Igor. I thought he did a good job too. Other than that . . . I can't think of anything. Oh wait I thought the action in the film was pretty well done I guess. Thats all that kept me interested. Actually the score was decent too, by my man Alan Silvestri! He does a good job.

So all-in-all a short review because this film isn't one of the greatest. I was deceived by my sisters when they said this film was amazing. Well the ratings? I honestly wouldn't even give this a last-minute rent worthy, but if you like vampires and werewolf's and fantasy stuff like that you might . . . just might like it. So there is the only way it applies to the last-minute rent worthy rating. On a scale out of five what is it going to get? Well "Van Helsing" I guess can get a 1.5/5 rating.

Well thanks for reading this review, I hope you enjoyed it. Probably not one of my best because I did watch it last week and I remembered hating it GREATLY! Just not sure of every single detail about it. No need to check it out . . . I remember being bored while watching it. Again thanks for reading and make sure you stay tuned for more . . . coming soon.

The Motion Picture Buff