The Paperboy REVIEW

The Motion Picture Buff would like to present a review for the 2012 film, The Paperboy. In this film a newspaper writer returns home to investigate a case with a victim on death row. This film stars Nicole Kidman, Zac Efron, Matthew McConaughey, and John Cusack.

This is a tough film to review to be honest. The first thing I want to mention I suppose is the fact that this movie has an amazing cast. As per mentioned above the cast is pretty darn incredible. They aren't just a good cast, they have amazing characters to portray and they portray each role perfectly. Who really stands out in this movie is Zac Efron though. Zac Efron plays Jack Jansen in the film who is love with Nicole Kidman's character, Charlotte Bless, who is a 40 year old woman married to the prisoner who is on death row, played by John Cusack. They way Zac looks at Nicole in this movie is just perfect. You can see it in his eyes that he is really in love with this woman, and he would do anything for her, which he does. I also do want to mention John Cusack's performance in this movie. I have never seen John play a bad guy really before, and honestly I don't think I could have ever seen him play one. In this movie though John Cusack plays a complete jackass and pervert. He does it perfectly as well, I was literally disgusted with this character.

Now the tough part to review for this movie is the story/screenplay. The plot of this movie is actually quite intriguing. I was always interested in this movie and the movie did a good job with it. I like how the two brothers get along together and work together to solve the crime. At the same time I like how Zac's character falls in love with Nicole's character. I think it just adds a great element to the film. What was annoying about this movie though was that it was extremely slow and the screenplay seems just sloppy. There are points in the movie where I lost interest and started working on other things, like my homework. Whenever that happens in a movie, I think the movie is just way worse. I like a movie way more when it can keep me hooked the whole way through instead of losing and gaining interest on and off.

So there are a few things I would like to mention before I wrap up this review. These few things would include the cinematography of the film, the beginning of the movie, the narration. Starting off the cinematography in this movie is actually pretty darn good. I like the look and feel of this movie is just perfect for the time zone of this movie. Now in the beginning of this movie it starts off with Zac's character narrating the story, and throughout the film we will catch her narrating the whole thing. I really did enjoy this in the movie because it works for the whole feel of the movie. It kind of works in with how Matthew's character is trying to solve a case. It just feels right for the movie.

Wrapping up this review I will say that The Paperboy is an enjoyable film that works perfectly for a rainy day. It has a great cast that create great characters that you will care for and root for in the end. For the ratings I will give this movie a rent worthy rating, only that though. I am glad I did not buy this movie because it is only worth watching once. You will enjoy it though, that is for sure. Now for the rating out of ten stars I will have to give, The Paperboy, a 7/10 star rating. 

Well I hope you have enjoyed this review of The Paperboy. It isn't my best work, but this movie to be honest was hard to review. Anyway I plan on doing a couple more reviews today to catch up on my list that I have. Make sure you stay tuned for them and for more . . . coming soon.

Noah Mark Bitney

The Man in the Iron Mask REVIEW

It is review time!!! Today's review is of the 1998 film, The Man in the Iron Mask. In this film the evil and cruel King Louis XIV of France has a secret twin brother who he had locked away and his face covered. After the King has angered to many of the old Musketeers, they form up again to make a swap with the innocent brother and the cruel King that doesn't deserve the throne.

Well now first thing I want to say about this movie is that it is very enjoyable. If you ever need a movie one night to watch that you will enjoy the crap out of, this one will work perfectly. The story of this movie is actually kind of good. I like what this movie is about. As for the screenplay though, there are a few issues. I mean it seems like a cheap movie, the bad writing and dialogue really do show in this movie. The dialogue is choppy and doesn't flow very well in my opinion. I would also have to say that it is extremely corny in spots. There are points in the film where I laugh and then say to myself, "Did he really just say that? What was the point of that." That does not stop this from being a good movie to enjoy though. The cast of the film really makes the movie in my opinion. If they wouldn't have gotten the people they had gotten for each role, this movie would not be as good as it is.

Leonardo DiCaprio, Jeremy Irons, John Malkovich, Gérard Depardieu, and Gabriel Bryne are the main cast in this film and they do a great job with each of there roles. They are really what make this movie. Leonardo DiCaprio always does a great job in any one of his movies, and again in this movie he does a great job. I love how he portrays two roles in this film. When he has to switch characters and become the other brother, you can really see it in his eyes and I just love it. The chemistry between each on of these actors is good as well. I love when they bicker and banter back and forth, they do such a good job with it.

I also wanted to mention a couple last things in this review. One thing is that the cinematography really didn't work for me in this movie. It seemed to modern to me, and didn't portray the time zone of the movie very well in my opinion. With that being sad I also noticed a few things in the movie, prop items, that really weren't time zone appropriate. The sprinkler system, I mean, did they really have that technology then? I don't think so. Last thing I wanted to mention where the costume designs. They seemed lazy in my opinion, and not very good. What I mean by this is that they seemed to look fake instead of clothing from that time. The hair as well looked like it was ready to fall of some of the characters. This is my opinion though and I am just bickering.

Other than those few things this movie was extremely enjoyable. I love the story and the actor/actresses in this movie portray characters and a story that you will enjoy anytime you need a good movie for a movie night with the family or friends. For the ratings I want to give, The Man in the Iron Mask, a popcorn movie night rating. I would have to say that this movie only gets a DVD buy worthy rating, its worth a buy on DVD but not Blu-Ray. I will also like to say that this movie is perfect to rent . . . it is on Netflix though so if you have Netflix, just check it out on there. Now for the rating out of 10 stars I will give, The Man in the Iron Mask, a 6/10 star rating. It gets this for being an enjoyable story, and having a great cast to support the story. Enjoyable, in my opinion, is the strongest thing to have for a movie.

Well I am hoping that you have enjoyed this review of The Man in the Iron Mask. Have you seen this movie before? Let me know what you thought of in on the Motion Picture Buff's Facebook page, RIGHT HERE, or even leave a comment below. Now make sure you stay tuned for more . . . coming soon.

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl REVIEW

Well welcome back to the Motion Picture Buff again. Today I would like to present a review for the first Pirates of the Caribbean film, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. In this film an eccentric blacksmith teams up with notable and recently captured pirate, Captian Jack Sparrow, to save a girl to whom has been captured by a group of pirates that used to be Sparrow's allies.

Now most people I know have seen this movie before. You had to have seen it right? This is a classic film that everyone must see. Why? Well because it is literally a very enjoyable film that keeps you interested the whole way through. What about it is so interesting? Lets first talk about the cast in this film. Johnny Depp acts with serious perfection in this film. This is the role he was born to play because in movies he acts to today in, I still see a little bit of Jack Sparrow in his role (which isn't good). Anyway, Johnny Depp, plays the character of Captian Jack Sparrow, and they did a great job picking him for this role. I was glad to see Johnny getting a nomination for Best Actor Oscar for this role. Kiera Knightley is also in this film and I looked it up, she was only 17 years old when they did the filming for this film. For 17 years old, Kiera did a great job in this film. She is an amazing actress and this is where it practically all began. She just portrays the role of Elizabeth Swan amazingly. When picking the cast for this film, they could not have done a better job. I could go on and on about all the actors and actresses in this movie, but lets just say they all do a fantastic job with their roles to bring an amazing movie to us viewers. Some other notable people in this film would include: Orlando Bloom, Geoffrey Rush, Lee Arenberg, and Jack Davenport.

Next I wanted to mention the story for this film. It is a decent story, its nothing grand and spectacular. It is an enjoyable ride though. I enjoy this movie every single time I watch it, and trust me, by now I have had to have seen this movie well over 20 times. Director, Gore Verbinski, does a great job with this film. He portrays the movie beautifully and he keeps us on our toes throughout the whole movie. At the end of the movie you are begging for more, which as most people know, we do get (more on that later though). The cinematography in this movie is really good to. I love the way the movie looks and feels. It has the right look and feel for it, I wouldn't want it any other way.

The last few things I want to mention about this movie are probably what I love most about the Pirates of the Caribbean films. The musical score for this film is just wonderful. Klaus Bedelt does a great job setting up the perfect theme song for a good series of movies to come. The rest of the score as well is just perfect for the film. I can find myself humming songs from this movie all the time, especially right after watching it. Now the other thing I want to mention is just how enjoyable this movie is. It has all the right pieces to a perfect popcorn movie. It has humor, action, adventure, romance, and just a kickass cast pulling of the wittiest of characters. It may not be a perfect film, but it is a sure enjoyable ride.

Now rating this movie I will give Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl a well deserved popcorn movie night rating. It also deserves a must-see film rating because personally I think everyone must-see this film. It is for sure a instant classic. People will be enjoying this movies for years and years, as they already have been. It is a film you will watch over and over again, and so it does get a buy on Blu-Ray rating as well. Now for the rating out of ten stars I will give, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, a 8/10 star rating. 

Well I hope you have enjoyed this review of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. Stay tuned for the reviews for the other films in this great series. Make sure you also stay tuned for reviews of other movies and of awesome movie news. If you have been enjoying, the Motion Picture Buff, make sure to like us on Facebook right . . . HERE! If you would like to chime in and tell me what you thought, comment to me on Facebook, or even leave a comment in the section below. Thanks again for reading and stay tuned for more . . . coming soon.

Noah Mark Bitney