Black Swan REVIEW

The "Motion Picture Buff" would like to present a review for the 2010 movie, "Black Swan." In this film a ballet dancer is the prefect dancer for the white swan in "Swan Lake." She wins the lead role, but as time progresses she becomes more and more like the black swan.

Well shall we begin with the negatives of the film? Well lets just say that in some points of this film it can be SUPER slow and just down right boring. Then there is times when it is hard to distinguish between Nina's (main character) imaginations or reality. There are times when I had a hard time telling if what was going on was real or not. I did also want to mention that at some points this film could just be a little bit to weird. There are parts where it is good, but then there is just the down right weird scenes. So to recap this film could be boring and slow-paced at times, and also that it could get confusing when it came to Nina's reality.

Other than that I really liked this film quite a bit. Natalie Portman was just OUTSTANDING. Seriously if anyone ever deserved their Oscar it was 100% her. This girl can really act the dual personalties just perfectly. Natalie was also really good at the depressed look Nina always had. She was literally transformed into her character, Nina. Mila Kunis is also in this film and she just like Natalie, did incredible. The chemistry between them too was amazing! Now, the rest of the cast also included: Vincent Cassel, Barbara Hershey, and more. The cast was filled with amazing talent and great dancers. Speaking of dancing, everyone did fantastic. The choreography was just outstanding and if Natalie did all her own dancing . . . well done is what I have to say. I usually am not a dancer type person and I do not enjoy watching it usually, but holy shit was this dancing good in this film. I do also want to move onto the cinematography of the film. I thought it was literally beautiful for this film, and helped the film with its feel of dark emotions. So I guess a well done does go to the cinematographer, Matthew Libatique. Now the story of this film I thought was very intriguing as well. It's a girl transforming/losing herself to her character she has to become for the part she so desires. I thought Mark Heyman, John L. McLaughlin, and Andres Heinz created a good script, just needed to fix issues above. Now director Darren Aronofsky was at the helm of this movie. I can say he did a good job with this movie. I was interested and pulled into it, just needed to fix issues above. Yet though he did do a good job.

So all-in-all a good film that is enjoyable. It has its negatives, but then it has it's strong points; one of them being the cast! For the ratings I am going to give it only a rent worthy rating. Its not a movie you need to buy because it really isn't something you will watch over and over again. It's possible that it is a must-see film though because Natalie's performance is just that good, plus it is still rather enjoyable movie. It is 100% a tour-de-force film too. As for the rating out of five, "Black Swan" will get a 3.5/5 rating.

Well thank you for reading and I hope that you enjoyed this review. I do want to mention that I only have one more review/post before I will be doing my 100th blog post! The 100th post is going to be for a special movie to me. It's not my number one movie, but it is a movie that made me fall in love with the film industry. So stay tuned for more . . . coming soon.

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Taken REVIEW

The "Motion Picture Buff" would like to present a review for the movie, "Taken." In this film a retired CIA agent goes on a hunt for his daughter after she was taken by some fugitives who kidnap young women for prostitution.

So lets begin this review with the negatives from this film. Well first of all this movie just has no break. Its like one thing is happening and then it doesn't even stall and then BAM the next thing is already happening. The plot and everything isn't the best, it is just the movie moves along way to quick and it feels rushed. The other thing that bothered me is that it really never does a good job explaining things, and it leaves a few things unresolved in the end I thought.

What does this movie have going for it though? Well Liam Neeson is the main reason this movie excels! He just pulls off an amazing performance within this film, and his action sequences within this film are just BAD-FREAKING-ASS! He really can play a bad-ass protective father. His voice too was just perfect for the role. Maggie Grace as Kim is also really good, I did enjoy her performance. The chemistry between her and Liam I thought was very believable too. The next thing I did enjoy was Pierre Morel's direction of the film. The camera angle and shots were always perfect and helped us feel like we were in the middle of the action. Speaking of which the action sequences in this film were just awesome. I loved it and in some scene you just have to cringe at what Liam Neeson does to some of the bad guys. The film was very engaging in this film and you really cared about Liam Neeson's character and what he was fighting for. I thought the writers did a really job setting that up. I also thought they had an interesting idea for the film. It was a very simple idea and they went with it in a decent way I thought. I do also want to mention the score of the film which I thought helped a lot with some action sequences and brought something to the scenes. So well done Nathaniel Méchaly.

So all-in-all this film is a great bad-ass film! It is very intriguing and engaging and I promise you will enjoy it if you love Liam Neeson. I am going to have to give it a must-see rating along with a DVD buy worthy. It is close to Blu-ray, so if you wanted to go ahead . . . it will be worth it. It is 150% a popcorn flick for a movie night and it is again BAD-ASS! As for the rating out of five I will give, "Taken" a 3.5/5 rating.

Well thanks for reading and I am hoping that you enjoyed this review. Make sure you stay tuned because now I am off to see "Taken 2" and the review of the film will be up as soon as I get home. So if you are thinking of going to see it this weekend you can see if it is worth it here. Well stay tuned for more motion picture reviews . . . coming soon.

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The Possession REVIEW

The "Motion Picture Buff" would like to present a review for a genre of movies that I will review few of "The Possession" which is a scary movie. In this film a young girl makes her father purchase an antique box at a yard sale, not knowing that inside the box lives an ancient evil spirt. The girl's father and ex-wife team up to find a way to end the curse upon their child.

Well hm I might as well get the negatives out of the way in this film even though there are quite a few within this film. Well I want to start with the way the film flowed. It seemed to move really slow most of the time. This wasn't just due to the screenplay, which wasn't really the greatest (seemed kind of blotchy), it was due to the direction of this film. There were scenes where the camera just paneled around something, and when it did that it seemed to take forever. I think the director, Ole Bornedal (perviously done: "Nightwatch") was trying to build the scary moment, but when in reality he was just slowing the movie down more. Then there were some scenes that I feel like it should have showed more and didn't or it just wasn't as scary as it could have been. Then there was actually one thing about the script or story I guess that had bothered me quite a bit. There was this very relevant character to the plot in the whole film, then something happened to him but you never really knew what happened to him. Moving onto how scary was this movie, well it was creepy (more on that later) but I feel like they used to many "jump scares" which in a scary movie I feel like they shouldn't use to many of them. Then there was one person's acting in this film that was just on and off. Jeffrey Dean Morgan played, Clyde (the father), and his acting was really good at some points, but then there was sometimes within this film where I wanted to punch him for being so bad.

Now good things from this scary movie. Well I am going to have to say that this movie is a good creepy scary movie. It does scare you, but in a creeped out sort of way. If you know what I mean? So I do give it some credit for that because scary movies I have been watching lately haven't really creeped me out or scared me except for making me jump. This film though had me freaking out from a minute into the film. I did like how in some scene though that the would just BANG cut to the next! It gave the film a more creepy edge to it. Then the acting by Natasha Calis, was spectacular . . . oh she played Em, the girl who was possessed. I felt like she did a very good job being EXTREMELY creepy in some scene. Ugh she just creeped me out. One last thing I do want to say is that this film does have a good story to it that kept me somewhat interested. Could have been better, but wasn't really a negative (almost).

So all-in-all I think that this is an excellent movie to watch for a scary movie night! Probably want to start with it at the beginning, and then continue on with better ones from their on. So if your having a scary movie night, this would be a great film to pick up at your local rental place! That's it though, thats all I would give it for that. On the scale out of five though . . . I would give "The Possession" a two out of five.

Well thanks for reading this review, I hope you enjoyed it. Sorry haven't been doing reviews and other posts, been so busy with friends leaving for college. Seems like now I am going to have more time to do reviews though . . .  and to watch movies. I do want to say thanks if you have been trying to get the word out about "The Motion Picture Buff Reviews" I really appreciate! Every page view helps me continue to do this. So make sure you subscribe by email in the sidebar, so you will be emailed when I update the blog with another post! I do want to say thank you again for viewing and to make sure you stay tuned for more . . . coming soon.

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The Dark Knight Rises REVIEW

The "Motion Picture Buff' is happy to present a review for the film that we all have been waiting for four years, "The Dark Knight Rises." I have just gotten back from the midnight showing in my home town. Now "The Dark Knight Rises" is about how Batman has been out of the game for eight years, and then a new threat, Bane, shows up and threatens the city of Gotham. Batman is ultimately questioned wether he should return or not and can he?

Well lets just say he does it in a way that is JAW-DROPPING!!!!! Holy freaking shit (excuse my language). If you want a movie to just lose your mind to? Well then look no further. In "The Dark Knight Rises," Christopher Nolan reveals his greatest master piece EVER! This movie will keep you on the edge of your seat from literally the very beginning, all the way until the end credits. We defiantly see a great ending to a wonderful trilogy. Sure there are parts that will piss you off entirely, but in the end you feel like that is the right way of things. A beautifully directed movie Christopher Nolan, props to you. Now the plot of this film took you in places you never thought it would, which was brilliant and what I absolutely love in a GREAT movie. It also keeps some twists in there (about like I said earlier) that keeps you on the edge of your seat, cheering for the good guys, crying, and yelling at what has happened. It is just a beautiful plot and very well written. The acting in this movie was just absolutely spectacular! Christian Bale defiantly outperformed his Batman/Bruce Wayne in this film. Morgan Freeman and Micheal Caine are still absolutely brilliant. Tom Hardy as Bane. Hmmmm how to describe that? Well basically he was MADE to play the character Bane. Oh my god his performance was just incredible. Like they say in that sneak peak, he does things with his eyes that are just amazing. As I have said with Heath Ledger as the Joker in my "The Dark Knight" review, no one could play him better at all. So well done Tom Hardy. Now Joseph Gordon Levitt as John Blake, was just brilliant. Again he did a really good job with his character. It's like Christopher Nolan brings the best out of everyone. Marion Cotillard did a great job as  Miranda Tate in this movie as well. The acting in this film was just beautiful, not one person did I hate. Which includes Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle or know as Catwoman. I didn't think I was going to like it at all, but surprisingly I loved it 100%. She just kicked butt. Now how about the score for this film? Well again it was taken over by Hans Zimmer, and let me just say, "GREAT JOB!" I have already bought it, and plan to listen to it as soon as possible. The look and this film was just great, there literally wasn't any major things at all to complain about this movie. This film ended "The Dark Knight Triology" perfectly. You couldn't be any happier with the end of this franchise. It does it loyally and there could be no other way. A plus too is that every single one of these films are freaking amazing. You could say that "Batman Begins" is your favorite and no one would care. Personally thought I am going to have to say that "The Dark Knight Rises" is my favorite. Comment below on what your favorite is (after seeing "The Dark Knight Rises" of course).

Now unfortunately I have one really minor thing to say, which is that sometime you really can't understand Bane's voice. Only thing though.

So now what is this film going to get? Well 100% MUST-SEE FILM! You know what? Just go see the film right now. What are your still doing here reading this? Go see it. Already seen it? Go again its so worth it. So yeah though, its getting a 5/5 rating even though I had that tiny thing. Go see this film right now, you are going to enjoy every aspect of it. It is a film that you will enjoy because it is a near perfect movie (I believe nothing is perfect, only near-perfect).

My all-in-all though, is that it is a great film! Literally raking up there with my favorite films (list actually of those coming soonish). You will enjoy this movie if you like twists in a movie, and a movie that will take you in a direction you never expected. You will be lost for about three hours in a world not of yours. Go enjoy the film, there is really nothing to hate about it. Enjoy!

Heading to the theater? Good! Well thanks for reading. I am not going to add much here now because I  know your busy getting ready to see this movie, but just want to say please spread the word about the blog here. It really helps me out, and now make sure you stay tuned for more soon . . .

Stop sitting on your phone, tablet, or computer and get to the theater now, and enjoy "The Dark Knight Rises ;)

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The Dark Knight REVIEW

The "Motion Picture Buff" would like to preset a review for Christopher Nolan's second installment in the Batman Trilogy, "The Dark Knight." In this film, Batman meets a villain he doesn't fully understand, the Joker.

Well lets get the minor negatives out of the way shall we because most likely you guessed that I freaking love this movie. So major thing I want to mention is that most of the action in this film does seem a bit to choreographed again, worse than "Batman Begins." It just kind of bothers me a bit. Now a minor thing is that there is this one scene on a rooftop that the dialogue seems a bit to unnatural. It just they are on one topic then jut to the next and then jut again to another. Bothers me a little. Now one more thing really was that the girl that had to replace Katie Holmes I do not like as much. I know they had no chance, but I really did not like Maggie Gyllenhaal in this film. She just did not perform as well as everyone else was in this film. So there were probably the only negatives, yes even an EPICLY GREAT movie like "The Dark Knight" has to have some negatives I am afraid.

Now for the many positives though because like I said, this film is freaking INCREDIBLE! Going to say this right now, this is defiantly a movie that is on your must-see film list (if you are one of the few who have not seen it). I am going to start off with Heath Ledger's performance in this film. Three words, "OH MY GOD!" He does an incredible job as the joker, seriously him as the joker has to be the best acting I have ever seen within a film. He 1000% deserved the Oscar he got in 2009. I would like to say it was a performance of a generation. I still think to this day that he has done the greatest job in a film. Now for the other acting parts. Well its basically the same people from "Batman Begins" and they do a great job just like before, if not better. The only added main person was Aron Eckhart as Harvey Dent/Two-Face, and I thought he did a suburb job as well. Christopher Nolan must bring out the best acting in actors/actresses. He literally did an amazing job with this film. Camera angles, writing the film (except that one part above), and just making a film we all enjoy. The plot of the whole movie just made sense it connected logically and perfectly. Oh and I LOVE how he started this film. A very intense beginning for a film people were anxiously waiting for after the first installment. Again I want to say that Hans Zimmer did an incredible job with the score for "The Dark Knight" as he did with "Batman Begins." So a huge thanks to everyone involved in this film for creating a movie that I thoroughly will enjoy over and over again. It still keeps me on the end of my seat every time I watch it.

Well as I said above this film is 100% a must-see film that you have to 100% buy on Blu-Ray (if you own one). A huge popcorn flick one night, and make sure you watch this before you see "The Dark Knight Rises" this coming weekend! Now for the rating that it deserves. Well I can only give it a 4/5, but being a GREAT film it is a good rating for it. I still say WATCH IT NOW! So make sure you check it out.

Now remember (for Batman fans waiting for my "The Dark Knight Rises" review) I will be going at midnight to see it, and when I get home that night I will review it for you to read and see how EPIC it really is. I do want to say thanks for reading, please spread the word about "The Motion Picture Buff" blog. It really does help me, and it will keep me doing more reviews for all of you to read. Make sure you see what movies I might review next HERE. Now make sure you stay tuned for more motion picture things . . .

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In memory of Heath Ledger, thank you for an amazing performance . . . rest in peace. 

V for Vendetta REVIEW

The "Motion Picture Buff" would like to say one thing, "Remember remember, the fifth of November." Just kidding, I would like to present my review for the motion picture "V for Vendetta." The above quote (if you do not know) is from the film, and let me say that this film is absolutely amazing. This film is about a shadowy freedom fighter known as "V" uses terrorist tactics to fight against his totalitarian society. Upon rescuing a girl from the secret police, he also finds his best chance at having an ally. For this review though I am going to do things a little differently (maybe from now on) . . .

Now lets talk about the positives of this film first shall we? Well let me just say the script of this film was absolutely beautiful. Everything seemed to just fit right where it should have. The dialogue created by the screenwriters (Andy and Lana Wachowski) was just absolutely brilliant. The character V was just brilliant. He was just so badass. I am glad they told us his whole story. I do want to say now though now that I am on the topic of V, Hugo Weaving (guy who played V) was 100% MADE to be V. Natalie Portman also did a great job as Evey. She definitely outperformed herself! All the acting really in this film was just outstanding. It was a brilliant cast for this movie. Now, I do love when I movie throws the unexpected at you too, so there was part in the end that I really did like how it played out. The whole movie was played out perfectly as I kind of said earlier. The director of this film, James McTeigue, did a great job at delivering us a great film, so thank you. This movie will keep you on your toes from beginning to end, you honestly will not really want it to end. I absolutely loved this film.

Now I only had like one or two minor things to say against this movie. There were some scenes that were a bit confusing, like the beginning. I never really got that part? I do think I had something to do with it, but I never really got or understood the connection between the events? Really thought the only other thing I really had against this movie was that it should have explained more about what had happened to lead this world into the way it was. It did but coulda done better I thought maybe?

So instead of giving my rating away at the beginning, I am going to put it at the end so you can think about what I might rate this movie. I also will no longer be linking my ratings to the hit movie website IMDb. I am going with my own rating system now, instead of out of 10 I will be only going out of 5. Plus I am going to add 0.5 into my system as well. So what is "V for Vendetta"going to get? I am going to rate it of course as a must-see film, and its rating is a 4.5/5. Go look for this movie on Netflix, at your local Walmart, or wherever you get your movies. It is AMAZING!

Well thanks for reading again, you are getting ever more close to becoming a "Motion Picture Buff" too. Make sure you are subscribed by email in the sidebar so you know when I do another review or some important information in the motion picture world. You can see what movie I will be reviewing next possibly HERE if you want. You should also leave a comment below on your thoughts of "V for Vendetta" if you have seen it before. One last thing I want to say is I only changed the way I do reviews now was to make it more me. Thanks for reading, spread the word about the review site here, and stay tuned . . .

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Buried REVIEW

The "Motion Picture Buff" presents a review for the motion picture "Buried," a Rodrigo Cortés film. This film is about Paul Conroy (played by Ryan Reynolds), who is a truck driver in Iraq. He and other truck drivers were ambushed, and Paul was knocked out in the ambush. The next thing he knows is that he is stuck in a coffin, and so the movie ensues it's plot from there. I am going to give this film a marvelous rating of 8/10. There wasn't much I hated at all about this film, as you can see. Even the things that bothered me were very minor.

So to get rid of the negatives right away, I would like to say that Ryan Reynolds did his most amazing performance I have ever seen. At times though I thought he wasn't doing his best. He still made me believe though everything. I was lost in his character, but I just thought he lost some off his great acting he had in this film at some points within the film. Other than that um oh yeah the . . . well I will not say but . . . Where did it come from? (If you have seen this it should make sense what I just said). My sister saw this movie before me and ended up telling me, and it had made sense that it could have happened that way. I never saw it though, so yeah though just a little thing. (Sorry if a bit confusion but trying not to give anything away). There was also some camera shots I didn't like at some points, I thought they were in the complete wrong spot. Oh, one other thing I have to say though is that I didn't really like this one scene, it really had no relevance and it was weird.

Now the rest of this movie was just absolutely perfect. I love the beginning of the film. I could have thought of 10 other ways to start the film, but the way they did is most likely the absolute best. It keeps in tone with the rest of the movie really because, if they would have done it my ways it would have been the only other odd scene. The ending is another one of those hate and love endings I mentioned in my "Last Night" Review. I loved it more in this film because it just made it absolutely perfect, down to the very last second it was. As I said above, Ryan Reynolds acted his heart out in this film. It was just so freaking believable all the time. He really made me nervous while I was watching the film. I felt like I was in the box with him the whole time. That would probably have to do with some of the direction of the film and camera angles. Ryan though did an excellent job playing a part while being stuck in a coffin. It just shocked me how believable it was. I was totally immersed in the film the whole time. I was screaming for him, crying with him, and feeling all the emotions he felt while he was in the box. By the end you feel somewhat claustrophobic. The score of this film was pretty decent I thought. I also loved the dialogue in this film. Chris Sparling, the writer of "Buried," did an excellent job with that I will have to say. I would though like to say thanks to everyone who helped make this film. It truly was very incredible.

So all-in-all a marvelous film that I enjoyed very much. Just had a few minor things that had bothered me with it now that I think about it. It is a must-see movie though, so it would be good for a movie night one night (popcorn flick). If your ever in the mood for a thriller/mystery, well this would be a great one to watch.

Well thanks for reading, and make sure you subscribe by email to the blog in the sidebar. Then you will know when I update the blog next with more reviews or movie news and information. Vote in the poll in the sidebar also (JUST UPDATED). You can also check out the movie I might be reviewing next on the list of movies I have on the other page. Comment below though if you have seen this movie, and let mw know what you thought about it? Also leave suggestions for movies for me to review next. You are one step closer to being a "Motion Picture Buff," but make sure you stay tuned for more . . .

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"Taken 2" OFFICIAL FIRST TRAILER

The "Motion Picture Buff" presents the first official trailer for the squeal to Liam Neeson's 2008 action hit, Taken 2. I say it looks kind of good and kind of dumb. Not 100% sure how I feel exactly about it yet, but check out the trailer. I think the trailer sets up the film perfectly, but the film is going to have to answer a few questions though (like how are the Mom and Liam's Character back together). I do though have hunch about a part in the film though already.

Well check it out below and let me know what you think about, "Taken 2."



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