The Big Wedding REVIEW

Well it is time for another review even though it is a little late this time. Today's review is for the 2013 romantic comedy, The Big Wedding. In this movie a long-time divorced couple must act like they are still married to try and impress there foster kid's real mother right before his wedding day. As you can expect there are many things going on right before the wedding and it all comes crashing into this one weekend. Secrets are revealed, trusts are broken, and love is in the air.

For as corny and ridiculous this movie is, I will have to start off by saying that I actually did enjoy this movie quite a bit. Sure there are a few things I would change and like to have happened differently, but overall I really did enjoy this movie A LOT! What about it did I enjoy? Well the characters really, and everyone who portrayed them. The couple that are getting married are played by Amanda Seyfried and Ben Barnes and they had decent chemistry. I mean you believed it but there was nothing special. I like how they eventually end up doing there wedding, but I do not want to give any spoilers. I will have to say that picking my favorite couple in this film it would have to be between Robert DeNiro and Susan Sarandon. They just seemed to me, the most believable in this entire movie. They had some great chemistry and I loved to see them bicker back and forth between each other. Now I could go on all day about the characters and the actors playing them. They main this I want to convey is that throughout the movie I actually cared about the characters. I wanted to know more about them and cared what happened to them.

This I guess would have to do with the story of the movie though as well. Justin Zachman wrote and directed this movie and I think he did a great job with it. He made it enjoyable and just a feel good romantic comedy. Sure it is not prefect, but hey sometimes I just want a movie where I can sit down and enjoy it. Not every movie has to be perfect. Now what about the script is not perfect? Well for starters I would say that is is kind of predictable. In the beginning of the movie I knew these couple things were going to happen and needless to say they did happen and I was right. So that could have been improved. The other thing I wanted to mention is that this has all been done before. What I mean by that is that there is nothing special about this movie that really stands out from the movie. We have seen all these elements in other romantic comedies before, and I am sure we will see them again. So yeah that could have been worked on, but again this movie was still pretty enjoyable. It has been awhile since I have torn a movie apart because I have been watching some decent ones lately, but wait till my next review, I have a movie to rip apart.

To warp up this review I want to say just a couple things. This movie is enjoyable, not special. I would recommend only a renting this movie, as what I did, because that is really all it is worth. It works for a movie rental night with either your girlfriend, maybe even your family (just not younger kids). I will also say this movie works for a rainy day. Its not something you are like, "OH, I want to watch The Big Wedding." It just isn't a waste of time if you end up watching it, and is in no way a must-see movie. For the rating out of 10 stars I will give, The Big Wedding, a 6/10 star rating.

Well I am hoping that you have enjoyed this review. I know it is not when I promised but I didn't have time this morning. I am hoping to get a review out tomorrow along with the NEW Trailer of the Week already. So stay tuned for that as well as that movie I have to rip to shreds (that I had mentioned above earlier). Stay tuned for lots more . . . coming soon.

Noah Mark Bitney

Quantum of Solace REVIEW

The "Motion Picture Buff" would like to present another review of another Bond film, 2008's "Quantum of Solace." In this film MI6 agent James Bond is seeking revenge for the death of a loved one and the attempted murder of another. During his pursuit he sets out to stop an environmentalist who plans to steal a countries most valuable resource.

Shall we start with the positives from this Bond film? Well I guess first things first is that Daniel Craig pursues to be the best James Bond yet. He really plays the part well. He just has that look and attitude about him that makes him excel as his character. I could think of no one better to play the part. Olga Kurylenko does a great job with her character as well. Some of her scenes were just amazing to me. I thought she did a really good job. The rest of the cast too did a good job. The Bond films always seem to do a good job when it comes to casting. Moving on I would have to say that the revenge James's seeking makes sense, and the film does a decent job with it. The story behind the film, what is driving the film, is good but more on that later.  The score I am going to have to say I love. The other thing I wanted to mention were the action sequences which were extremely engaging and had me on the edge of my seat. So I will say that Marc Foster did a decent job with this film. I guess it is kind of hard to do a really good job when the screenplay sucks.

Now I want to move onto the negatives. The screenplay is just a mess for this film. Everyone knows this. It just jumps around. I can remember the first couple times watching this I never really understood the main point of this film. Watching it this time though I think I finally caught on with it. I was just so confused the first couple of times. I also am still left with the question of what is Quantum? Do they ever really tell us what it is in this film? I was just so confused with it. Moving on though . . . the dialogue of this film is not the greatest. It seems a bit unnatural and forced.

So all-in-all an action-packed Bond film where James is just pissed. The screenplay driving the film though is a mess and be prepared to get a little lost in the story line. For the ratings I will give it a rent worthy rating along with popcorn flick rating. No way is it going to get a must-see rating. As for the rating out of five, "Quantum of Solace" will get a 3/5 rating sadly.

Well thanks for tuning in to read this review. I am hoping that you enjoyed it. To see other James Bond film reviews click their title HERE: "Dr. No, Die Another Day," and "Casino Royale." Tomorrow night I have tickets for "Skyfall." As soon as I get home I will review it, so stay tuned for more . . . coming soon.

The Motion Picture Buff

Die Another Day REVIEW

The "Motion Picture Buff" would like to present his second review of his reviews of the James Bond franchise. Here he reviews 2002's "Die Another Day." In this Bond film, James is sent to find out about the connection between a North Korean terrorist and a diamond mogul who is funding the development of a international space weapon.

Well lets begin with the negatives for this movie shall we? First things first, I am going to have to say that in this Bond film there were a lot of pointless explosions that really made no sense at all. Car would hit a house . . . BOOM bursts into flames. Next thing is next that this Bond film just doesn't feel like a Bond film at all. It doesn't really have that spy feel to it. Maybe it is the fact that I don't think Pierce Brosnan is really a good choice for James Bond, or maybe the studio lost the feel of what Bond really was about.

Other than that I really enjoyed this 007 movie! Why do I really enjoy this one? Well the plot behind it is actually very interesting and it seems to make sense. Everything just clicks and it creates a good story that keeps you on the edge of your seat wanting more. Neal Purvis and Robert Wade were the screenwriters for this film, and I think they did a good job with this Bond. Director Lee Tamahori was at the helm of this film and I think he did a good job with it. The action sequences are engaging and exciting. You will enjoy them for sure. The score is good and fits along with the action, and of course the James Bond theme is just as good as ever. Now for the acting well I may not like Pierce as James bond, but he is does a decent job with this film. He keeps the action cool and enjoyable. Halle Berry is awesome in this film, she could be a spy in real life and you would never even know it. Toby Stephens plays one of the bad guys in this film and let me just say his performance in this film I enjoyed the most. He really played a bad guy extremely well. He had that look in his face throughout the film that just helped his performance I thought. There were of course other actors/actresses in this film and I think everyone did a good job and helped create a enjoyable addition to the James Bond franchise.

So all-in-all a good addition to the Bond franchise that just has good action and a good point to it. For the ratings I will give it a popcorn flick for sure. Good film to kick back with some buddies and watch. It will get a Blu-ray buy worthy rating, but still don't think this bond is even worthy of a must-see rating. Just not that good yet. As for the rating out of five, "Die Another Day" will get a 3.5/5 rating.

Well thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed this review. To see my first review of the first James Bond film CLICK HERE. I also want to mention that you can follow the "Motion Picture Buff" on Twitter HERE. So thanks again and make sure you stay tuned for more . . . coming soon.

The Motion Picture Buff

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom REVIEW

Here comes the second installment in the reviews of the "Indiana Jones" series! "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" is Indy's second adventure. In this film Indiana Jones arrives in India, here he is asked by a desperate town to return a mystical stone that was stolen from them. Of course Indiana agrees and so the adventure begins!

Well shall we begin with the positives from this tale? Well I loved the acting of course, I mean Harrison Ford is just outstanding. I really think there could be no better man to play Indiana Jones than him. He just fits the character extremely well. Now child stars that are extremely good are hard to come by, but Jonathan Ke Quan plays his character, Short Round, AMAZINGLY. He is funny, cute, and just a little snot sometimes. I don't think this kid was anybody else but Short Round. Jonathan and Harrison also had great chemistry. They could have been a father and son. Of course their are other actors in this film, but I could be here all day mentioning them. What I do want to say is that they all do a great job. The next thing I wanted to mention were the action sequences and the director who pulled it off! Steven Spielberg again is at the helm of Indiana Jones story, and the action parts are just fantastic. They are exciting and thrilling, and they keep you on the edge of your seat for sure. For the time they are sure some of the most creative too. The visual effects within this movie are again just groundbreaking for the time. The script is decent I suppose, not the best thing in the world but it has an interesting enough plot line. Last thing to mention is that John Williams is at the helm of the the score for the film again, and like always John Williams is just magnificent. If you're a fan of movie music like me, make sure you pick up this one.


Now in this "Indiana Jones" film there are quite a bit more negatives. The woman who plays Willie Scott in the film is just annoying or maybe just her character! I think it was both though Willie Scott is played by Kate Capshaw. Ugh, I hated her right from the beginning. Which I also want to comment on. What is with the foreign language opening number? To me I feel like it is just to much for a film like this. Then with the story line as a whole for the series (which means that the first one connecting to this) there are a couple gaps. What happened to Marion? What about his teaching at the college? So many gaps I thought.

So all-in-all a good adventure film that anyone should enjoy! The "Indiana Jones" series just got a decent addition, and it really has some great action parts within. I am going to give this a Blu-ray buy worthy rating because of the action parts, but you could just rent it because well . . . for the "Indiana Jones" series though this one isn't a must-see film at all. Your really not missing to much, plus it doesn't contribute to the real story of Indiana. I will give it a popcorn flick rating though. As for the rating out of five, "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" will receive a 3.5/5 rating.

Well thanks for tuning in and reading this review, I am really hoping you enjoyed it! To see the review of the first "Indiana Jones" film, "Raiders of the Lost Ark" CLICK HERE. Sorry for the delay in a review . . . been a BUSY weekend. I do want to say though I am three reviews away until I post my 100th post. I just wanted to remind you that I am going to do a special movie to me for the 100th post. So make sure you stay tuned for more . . . coming soon.

The Motion Picture Buff

Fight Club REVIEW

The "Motion Picture Buff" would like to present a review for the 1999 film, "Fight Club." So in this film a insomniac office worker and a "soap" maker form and underground fight club. Eventually the fight club turns into an army with a revolution in mind.

So shall we begin this review with the negative shall we? Well the first thing I want to mention is that I am pretty sure that this movie was trying to convey a message but in the end it just completely had no clue what it was going for. I just was confused on what this film was trying to say because at one point it had a good message but then nearing the end it really lost its point and just had no point. The next thing is the ending . . . it really made no sense at all and just seemed quick and choppy. It had also left me confused in a way. The next thing really is the whole movie in itself. It wears on your brain when your trying to keep up with everything. Yes I like movies where it makes you think, but this film just wore on my brain. By the end you are ready for it, and you need a rest before you can recover.

Other than that I really enjoyed this film. Brad Pitt . . . seriously I do not think I have ever seen any better acting from him in any of his movies I have seen. I loved him within this film. Edward Norton also did a great job to, he can really play the part of his character. Plus these two actors had amazing chemistry together . . . outstanding. Helena Bonham Carter also did a great job, then again she always does fantastic. I think David Fincher, the director, did a great job with the action sequences within this film. The fights in this movie were just great. I usually don't like these kind of fights, but this film just made me love it because it was done great. He also added something to the film that kept it engaging and want you to know more. He always had the perfect shot, you never really had a bad angle. I really did enjoy the twist within this film. I never in my dreams would have seen it coming. It tied in with the story greatly and I did enjoy it a lot. Helped make more sense (well some sense) of the movie. The dialogue in the film too seemed natural and very well thought out. I did enjoy that. So decent job, Jim Uhls, with that. Just things mentioned above needed fixing. I did enjoy the music within this film as well, I thought it helped add something to the film. So good job, Dust Brothers.

So all-in-all a good fight film. It tries to deliver a message but doesn't deliver quite all the way. You will enjoy it if you like Brad Pitt, or if you enjoy a good fight movie. As for the ratings, I will give it a rent worthy rating along with a popcorn flick. You and your friends would enjoy it one night. As for the rating out of five, "Fight Club" will get a 3/5 rating.

Well thanks for tuning in to read this review, I hope that you enjoyed it. Do make sure you subscribe by email in the sidebar, you don't wanna miss a post do you? You can also like "The Motion Picture Buff" on Facebook to get notified when I upload a new post there too. Thanks again though, and now make sure you stay tuned for more reviews of motion pictures . . . coming soon.

The Motion Picture Buff

Cast Away REVIEW

The "Motion Picture Buff" would like to present a review for the movie starring Tom Hanks, "Cast Away." In this film Tom Hanks plays a FedEx executive who was involved in a plane crash in the middle of the ocean. He must now transform himself to survive on a deserted island.

Well lets get the negatives out of the way first shall we? Well I am not sure how I feel about the plot and the flow of the story. To me it just seemed like it was very jumpy, and it just didn't show enough of his transformation on the island. They show like the first couple days of him being stranded, but then they skip to four years later and him plotting his escape now. I dunno I guess really what I am complaining about here is the plot. It just seemed to flow wrong in my eyes. It was also extremely slow in spots. Along with the plot though, the dialogue in this film was a bit unnatural. I think if you have seen this you will understand what I am trying to say. All-in-all dealing with the screenplay . . . it was an interesting premise for a film and done okay, but could have been way better. The only other thing that bothered me was Helen Hunt. Her performance in this film was just okay. I felt like she was just reading lines.

Now for the positives. I am sure you can guess (if you have seen it) that I am going to talk about Tom Hanks performance. What I wanna say here is that this man can act. WHOLY SHIT! I was freaking impresses. He can really give an outstanding performance. That one scene with Wilson (his volleyball) friend. I seriously started to tear up because of him. Well done sir . . . well done. Robert Zemeckis does the directing for this film and I want to say good job also. I loved the angles of the camera and the look and feel he gave to the film. I really did enjoy this film. Where the movie should be slow usually because it is a man stuck on a deserted island, he makes it somewhat interesting (except mentioned above). So props to that. I so love how they kept the film quite in these parts and just made the sounds of the waves. It was fantastic, so props to the sound team too for a great job with the waves. I thought it was brilliant.

So all-in-all a decent enjoyable film that has a great premise but could have been told better. I will say that it is DVD buy worthy and that it is a must-see because of the performance by Tom Hanks. It is really that great, "WILSON!" Anyways for the rating out of five for "Cast Away" I will have to give it a 3/5 rating because of the plot (that seemed to really bother me).

Well thanks for reading and I am hoping that you enjoyed this review of "Cast Away." One thing before I end this review is that make sure you like the blog here on Facebook. Click the like button in the sidebar to do so. Thanks again and make sure you stay tuned for more reviews of motion pictures . . . coming soon.

The Motion Picture Buff

Grown Ups REVIEW

The "Motion Picture Buff" would like to present a review for the motion picture, "Grown Ups." In this film five former friends and teammates get back together on the fourth of July weekend, after finding out that their old middle school basketball coach died.

Well lets talk about the positives first that come from this Adam Sandler film. Well lets just say it had some heart to it. It had a good message to display to people, and it did a decent-ish job displaying it. Not only did it have heart it had some good laughs too.  Now usually I hate Adam Sandler's more recent films, but I thought this one to be somewhat funny. It wasn't over the top stupidity, like his films usually are now a days. I did think that the acting from each person was decent well, they were believable. Maybe thats because the actor/actresses in this film are always playing funny roles.

Now this is an Adam Sandler film so of course there is going to be negatives that I have to speak. First of all when I said that this movie was funny, I wasn't saying the whole film was. There was some scenes in this film that were just a little to far over the top. Ugh, what should I expect though right? It's just irritating some of the scenes they add in there that they think is funny, when in reality they are just weird and completely unnecessary. When I said all the acting was good I did forget to say except a few. One really in general. I have never liked Rob Schneider as an actor. He performances are always the same and they are always annoying. The flow of the movie I do want to mention. What I have to say is that I thought the whole film just seemed rushed. It all flowed along really quickly and just didn't seem natural. That being said the dialogue in some spots of the film also did have that naturalistic feel to it.


So all-in-all I think "Grown Ups" could be a decent film to rent one day/night to watch with a group of friends. Which means yes it is a popcorn flick. Now originally I was going to give "Grown Ups" a 3/5 rating, but after some serious thought and such I am going to have to give it a 2.5/5 rating.

Well thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed this review. Seems like it is not my best one, but I did watch this movie about two weeks ago, and it is hard to remember everything that I liked or disliked. This is the last of the reviews though from when I was off on my injury. Now I am back to watching a film, then doing the review before my next movie. I do want to say thanks again for everyone's loyal readership here on the blog. This month is almost about to beat my highest viewed month so far, so thanks to all who have read. Now make sure you stay tuned for more reviews of motion pictures . . . coming soon.

The Motion Picture Buff

Gangs of New York REVIEW

The "Motion Picture Buff" would like to present a review for the film, "Gangs of New York." This film takes place in 1863 in the Five Points area of New York. In this film Amsterdam Vallon (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) returns to the Five Points to seek revenge against Bill the Butcher (played by Daniel Day-Lewis), his fathers murderer.

Lets begin with the positives from this film. Well the acting from everyone is outstanding! Really, I think this is the first movie that I have ever seen with Daniel Day-Lewis and I have to say he is an amazing actor. He really "was" his character in a sense. He can also play a GREAT villian. I was just loving his performance. Then there was Leonardo DiCaprio, he always does an amazing job in every film of his I have seen. Got to love his performance. It just shocks me to see that he doesn't have an Oscar yet. Cameron Diaz is in this film and usually I am annoyed with her performances. For this film that is not the case, good job Cameron. This film also has Jim Broadbent, John C. Reilly, Brendan Gleeson, and Eddie Marsan. They all do a terrific job and I do love there performances. There is of of course more actors and actresses in this film but to many to list. Everyone though did a great job. Moving onward I did enjoy the cinematography in this film as well, very well done. I did also enjoy the sets in this film. I thought that for this film they must have had to work hard, and yeah its weird to here me mention the sets. I did enjoy them though. Moving on with the screenplay . . . I did enjoy the last half of this film, after the climax of the film I guess. It gave me a great ride after that.

The negatives now though. Well lets just say that this movie had no originality to it. You have seen this story probably a hundred times. Guy falls in love with a girl, but its captivated by his revenge against the guy! There is that and that the first half of the movie I was so confused on what was going on, and the fact that it was so slow paced and boring. The first half of the film was just a bore. The film had also just had no like meaning to it. I really never felt anything for one guy or for the other. I didn't choose a side because really I didn't care. Shouldn't it have made me care?

So all-in-all your going to get a good film that you might enjoy. The performances are great and thats what made me enjoy the film the most. So what is this movie going to get? Well I would give it a rent worthy rating . . . maybe even a DVD buy worthy. It could serve as a popcorn flick with you and your friends one night. Oh and for sure a tour-de-force. As for the rating out of five, "Gangs of New York" is going to receive a 3/5 rating.

Well thanks for reading this review. I am hoping that you enjoyed it and will come back for more. One last thing to say before I sign off this review though. Make sure you 'like' "Motion Picture Buff" on Facebook, just click the 'like' button in the sidebar. You can even click HERE! Thanks again for reading, I really appreciate it. Stay tuned now for more . . . coming soon.

The Motion Picture Buff

Get Smart REVIEW

The "Motion Picture Buff" would like to present a review for the comedy "Get Smart" starring Steve Carell. In this film Maxwell Smart, performed by Steve Carell, becomes Agent 86 for CONTROL. He battles against the evil forces of KAOS with the more-competent Agent 99, Anne Hathaway, at his side.

So shall we begin with the negatives of this film? Hm, well firstly I want to say that this movie is stupid. Ever seen "Austin Powers" starring Mike Meyers? It isn't that much stupid funny, but this film does have some key stupid funny parts within it. I like funny and I thought this movie had its funny moments, but there were some time where it got to be a little ridiculous. Then there was the fact being that the screenplay/plot wasn't really that good at all. Plot seemed a bit jumpy in spots and just wasn't that great. If you left this movie for a few minutes or fell asleep you wouldn't be upset that you missed anything. Its not the most compelling of stories. Moving onto the acting in this film though . . . I would have to say that only two peoples performances bugged me. Terry Crews as Agent 91 and David Koechner ad Larabee were really the only two that kind of bugged me the most. They are just annoying, and don't seem to put to much into there performance.

Moving onto the positives from this film I am going to have to say that I loved the performances by Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway, and Alan Arkin. They all seemed to perform very well in this film, and they most definitely became there characters. Everyone else in the film seemed to do decent in my eyes.  I do want to point out though that Anne Hathaway seemed to steal the show in this movie. I really love her performance in this film. Continuing on I do want to say that this movie did a very good job at making me laugh at points (except for the things I mentioned above). So it is a good laugh movie that for sure that you don't need to really stay attentive through. The score of this film was pretty decent, I really liked the theme song for this movie. The action in this movie to is really good, director Peter Segal did a good job with it. It keeps you on your toes through the film. Keeps making you want more and there is also the gadgets Agent 86 and 99 get. Of course everyone loves a good gadget, and they thought of some unique gadgets actually for this film. I like it when they use something original and not something that is over used.

So all-in-all what did I think about this film? Well if your having a comedy night with some friends this film would do some good. Check it out at your rental place of choice. "Get Smart" isn't going to get a buy worthy rating, its a decent film. On the scale out of five, "Get Smart" I will have to give a two point five out of five rating.

Well thanks for reading this review of Peter Segal's take on "Get Smart." I hope you have enjoyed my review, and you are going to come back for more in the future. If so make sure you subscribe by email in the sidebar, so you will be emailed when I update the blog with a new post. I would like to also mention to check out my TOP TEN LIST if you have not yet. I had just changed the tenth film on there recently. So thank you again for viewing and make sure you stay tuned for more . . . coming soon.

The Motion Picture Buff

Larry Crowne REVIEW

The "Motion Picture Buff" would like to present a review for Tom Hanks directional debut, "Larry Crowne." This film is about Larry Crowne, Tom Hank's character, who loses his job, and then tries to reinvent himself. By doing so he decides to go to a community college.

Well for this review lets start out with the negatives shall we? I would like to say first though before I get to them, that this movie surprised me. So now first negative is the screenplay of this film, which is written by, Tom Hanks and Via Nardalos. It really isn't the best because we have seen all of this already. The love story in this film is very minor to the larger plot (which I was also surprised and disappointed by), and it isn't any kind of special love story. Its a story that we probably have seen a thousand times. So the screenplay is kind of just blah. Then there is Julia Roberts character, Mercedes Tainot. The character was just horrible and annoying. I mean I get her story, but I think Julia could have done better if it was a more interesting character. The movie tries to make you feel sorry for her, but in reality you don't give a shit. Which leads me to Julia Roberts performance. I liked it in the end, but when she had to be the pissed off teacher . . . I hated it.

Well moving on to a more positive note now. The film I genuinely enjoyed actually. The screenplay might have been boring but I actually did like the film. I found it funny, and yet very heart warming. There was also a touch of inspiration there. I thought that Tom Hanks played the perfect Larry Crowne, who was actually a very interesting character that you cared about. He seemed like he had enjoyed going to college, when probably most older people wouldn't go because they would feel weird and awkward. I really loved Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Talia Francesco. She was prefect for her character WHOM I LOVED! Oh she was just so determined and heartfelt. I loved it how she took Larry in as a friend and made him feel welcome. I wish I could meet someone like her in real life. I may have complained about the screenplay but I did enjoy the plot and message of this film. The movie did it well too, I finished the movie feeling in a way satisfied with the way they had pulled off the message. Plus the message had stayed constant throughout the film, which I do in fact love.

So all-in-all I thought that this film was decent, and that if you need a movie to rent one night . . . this would be 100% a good choice. You should enjoy it for a popcorn flick one night when you rent some movies . . . it will make you laugh and it is a good popcorn flick. So on the scale what does it get? I am going to have to give it a three out of five.

Well thanks for reading again, and I hope you enjoyed this review of "Larry Crowne." Now some more information about the blog here before you go. See in the sidebar how it says "Search this Blog?" Well if your new and haven't seen all of the blog posts already and are thinking of a movie you want to watch, type in the name of the movie and hit search. It will give you a result above the most recent blog post, and if I have reviewed it, it should be waiting for you there and if it is there click on the link and it will take you to the REVIEW. I thought I would give you that information. So thanks again, make sure you stay tuned now . . . for more coming soon.

The Motion Picture Buff

The Woman in Black REVIEW

The "Motion Picture Buff" would like to present a review for Daniel Radcliffe's first performance away from the "Harry Potter" series, "The Woman in Black." In this film a young lawyer travels to a village where he discovers the ghost of a scorned woman who is terrorizing the locals for vengeance. 

So lets talk about some negatives that came from this movie shall we? Hm, well don't get me wrong I think Daniel Radcliffe is a good actor and can so a really good job but in this film I feel like he didn't act very well. He didn't seem to give it his all. At some points he did good, when there was an action scene, but otherwise he seemed to just be there and read lines. Then there is the scary parts to this film, well yes this movie did freak the hell out of me but in the end they were just silly scares that got to me (jump scares). I feel like those shouldn't be the basis of a scary movie, and I feel in this movie that they were all I really got scared at. Then at some points I feel like the movie was slow, and this isn't particularly a long movie. 

Well now there is some positives that of course came from this film. I thought the screenplay, done by Jane Goldman, was very good indeed. I was interested about the story throughout the whole film, and I felt like it did the story justice in the end. It didn't leave you with any questions. The other thing I did like was that the suspense that leads up to scary parts were very good. It kept you on the back edge of your seat (trying not to look and getting away), and it did it in a well enough fashion. I do also like how "The Woman in Black" was just creepy. The whole film, and the lady was just creepy. It did a good job at keeping you think . . . "What the hell is wrong with this lady, and what the heck is she doing this for?" Like I said with the screenplay earlier they do a great job explaining it. They had also kept true to what they said earlier in the film, which made me enjoy the ending even more. So I thought they did a good job with the ending. Now moving onto the acting of this film. Like I said above I thought at times Daniel Radcliffe could do a good job. Who I loved most in this film though was . . . Ciaràn Hinds as Mr. Daily. He did an absolute fabulous job in this film I believe, and as I always say, "He made me think he was really truly that character, and that is what makes a good actor." 

So all-in-all I am going to have to say that this film would be good for a scary movie night, because trust me after watching this movie for the first time you aren't going to fall asleep easily. It is just creepy. So if your having a scary movie night this film would be a good one to pick up at Redbox, or head to your local movie rental place and give it a shot. I can promise you will get creeped out. So on the scale out of five what am I going to rate this film? Well I can give it a three point five out of five.  

Now thanks for reading, I really do appreciate every single view upon my blog here. Make sure you vote in the poll though (in the sidebar). You only have a couple more days to do so before a new one. You can also subscribe by email (in the sidebar as well) so you will be emailed when I update the blog next. Now thank you . . . again for reading. Now make sure you stay tuned . . . for more.

The Motion Picture Buff 

The Expendables REVIEW

The "Motion Picture Buff" would like to present a review for the feature film "The Expendables" starring and directed by Sylvester Stallone. This film is about a team of mercenaries who are given an assignment to take out a corporate military leader and a rouge CIA operative on a Latin American island.

So lets start out with the positives in today's review shall we? Well I thought this film did a great job at being a popcorn flick. I know that might be weird to say, but I feel like that is the sole purpose of this film. It is just for all of us to see our favorite action actors together in one movie. It does a good job at just entertaining the shit out of us. I want to say though that this movie did surprise me with actually having a relevant plot. I thought this movie was going to be literally all about the action, but it didn't it had something that was somewhat relevant. Now moving onto some of the acting within this film. I did enjoy Jason Statham in this movie. I thought he did a good job with his character, along with Jet Li.

I move onto the negatives now though because this film seemed to have quite a few of them. Lets start with the main guy Stallone. Ugh he is a good actor, but nope man I can barely understand what you are trying to say. Not a huge biggy but I think in a movie I shouldn't have to deal with trying to understand what someone is saying. I also want to point out that I felt like the movie was focused just upon Stallone. I mean sure there were some other scenes with Statham, but I feel like that was just an attempt at developing characters (attempt and I mean that, just an attempt). Otherwise the camera and story seems to evolve around Stallone.Then we move onto the plot. I said above I liked how this movie had a plot, but I never said I liked the plot. It just seemed to jumpy and a mess. Then the dialogue in this movie was just slow and just didn't seem natural. Then the action scenes in this film were awesome but way to over staged and the blood in this movie didn't even look real. I feel like with these actors who have been in loads of action movies, they could have unlocked there true potential but they didn't. The visual effects in this film aren't great at all. Almost anything that you can think of that would require visual effects, you can notice that they used visual effects. One more thing I do want to mention though, is that I fell like Stallone and all these other old action movie stars are just trying to relive there glory days. They just needed a better film.

So all-in-all I really didn't enjoy this movie a whole lot (my mind would wander off during the movie). I will say though that this movie would be a good popcorn flick for one night of watching movies. So if your having a movie night and thinking of movies to rent, these movie wouldn't be too bad of choice. It isn't anything special. Just something to watch and see some badass moves. For the rating out of five, I would have to give this film a two out of five though.

Well thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed this review of "The Expendables." I do want again to say thank you for helping me get over 1000 page views in exactly two months. I can believe it, to me this is truly amazing for me. I hope you continue to enjoy my posts of reviews for movies, and about the motion picture world. Make sure though you subscribe by email (in the sidebar) so you can be emailed when I upload a new post here. So stay tuned . . . for more.

The Motion Picture Buff

The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring REVIEW

The "Motion Picture Buff" would like to present you the first installment in the reviews of the "Lord of the Rings Triology." In "Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring" an innocent hobbit of The Shire journeys with eight companions to the fires of Mount Doom to destroy the One Ring and the dark lord Sauron forever.

For this review I will have to start with the negatives first because for this movie I have quite a few. First thing I want to point out is some acting that I really do hate in this film, okay no it really wasn't acting as much as it was some of characters the actors had to play. I do not like the character of Sam Gamgee. He was really annoying, I really did want to punch him in the face the whole entire movie. Ugh just an irritating character. Then there was actually some acting that I hated, and that was Elijah Wood. I always hate him as an actor (except for one movie). He just isn't that great of an actor. The next thing about this movie is that there is just way to much fantasy in it. I mean there is no realistic tone to it at all. Its just fantasy scene after fantasy scene. Then there is the fact that this movie is terribly slow. It just seems like it goes on forever and ever.

Now positives that come from this movie. Well it does have some pretty good acting within the film. I think everyone plays there part pretty well, they at least make you believe they are there character. Who I really love is Ian McKellen as Gandalf. He does an amazing job. I really love the one scene where he is like, "YOU SHALL NOT PASS!" Oh is that badass, or is it badass? The visual effects for the year that this movie came out in are very good. Today they are a bit outdated but for the time amazing. Now Howard Shore, whom I have never heard of, did the score for this film and let me just say that I am (ASAP) going to buy the score for this film. I absolutely loved it so much. I feel like I have heard it before, but it must just be from listening to soundtracks on Pandora all the time. The direction of this movie was also very good. I did like some of the camera angles that Peter Jackson had incorporated within this film. They seemed to tell the story better, and keep me somewhat interested. A movie has to keep me interested and with this movie's over use of fantasy Peter Jackson must have done a good job to keep me interested in the film. Plus I loved the acting. I like fantasy, but only a little bit. The make-up (which I rarely talk about in a movie review) was very good. It seemed to real at some points. So good job to, Peter Owen and Richard Taylor. If I talk about make-up it had to have been really good.

So all-in-all this movie was good enough to interest me. Now I know people love LOVE THIS movie but not me at all. In my opinion you "might" want to buy this movie, but I will probably only watch them once so I would also give it only a rent-worthy rating because they aren't that good. I do recommend purchasing the soundtrack though because I know I will be doing that. For the rating on the scale out of five, I am going to have to give "Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring" only a three out of five. Most people would at least give it a four but not me.

Well thanks for reading this review. The reviews for the other film of the "Lord of the Rings Trilogy" will be coming sometime tonight so make sure you stay tuned for more. If you haven't yet though, make sure you subscribe by email in the sidebar, so you will be emailed when I upload another review. Make sure you also vote on the poll, I just updated it! Now again thanks for reading and stay tuned . . . for more.

The Motion Picture Buff

Friends With Kids REVIEW

The "Motion Picture Buff" would like to finally present another review for the motion picture, "Friends With Kids" which stars John Hamm, Kristen Wigg, and many others. This film is about the difficult parts of marriage with kids. It addresses what some believe that kids can ruin your happiness and love for the one you wanted to spend your whole life with.

For this review lets start out with the negatives that came with this film. Well firstly the whole film seemed to move along a path extremely fast. A better explanation would be that they would be doing this one thing and then BAM they are already onto the next part in the story. So I guess it seemed like the plot was a bit rushed. Then of course with every single romance (or romantic comedy) comes along the predictability factor of the movie. This movie is pretty predictable. I was like, "This is going to happen later on." Then guess what happened? What I had guessed. So yeah just a tad predictable, but using tad as an understatement. Then there is Megan Fox. As hot as I think she is, she really isn't a wonderful actress. She always uses the same tone for every single part she acts, and in every movie she plays the extremely hot but snotty girl. Can she even attempt a serious role?

Now we move onto the positives of this film. Well I actually enjoyed this movie a lot, it had me laughing pretty hard in some points. Then it touched my heart in some points. This movie did a really good job at explaining really what it is like with kids, and the other kind of relationships that are out there and how some fall apart. This movie takes a good look at being friends with married couples and how everything changes in any kind of relationship once there is a kid. Now for the acting in this film, well I really loved all of the lead roles performances in this film (expect Megan's of course). John Hamm, Kristen Wigg, Maya Rudolph, Adam Scott, Chris O'Dowd, Jennifer Westfeldt, and Edward Burns. I felt like all of the performances coming out of this cast did a very good job at making me believe that they were there character, which makes you enjoy the movie even more. Now I just looked to see who went and directed this movie and now I love when an actor/actress makes there own movie that they are even starred in, and even better when they make a good movie too. Jennifer Westfeldt directed, wrote, and starred in this movie. Every aspect of her involvement in this film was very good, except for the writing. She had a good story to tell with an interesting topic, just the plot could have been better. I am glad I decided to pick this movie to rent one day.

Which now leads me to the so all-in-all section here of this review. Well even though I did enjoy this movie a lot, it had a few problems with it. So I am only going to give it a rent worthy rating, along with my dat-night rating. It is a good movie to watch once with that special someone. Just rent it and cuddle up together. You both should enjoy it. On the scale out of five, I am going to have to give this film a 3 out of 5. It was an enjoyable movie but had a jumpy plot and that will bug me, plus a little bit predictable.

Well thanks for staying tuned here. I am sorry for lack of review and motion picture information (because there has been a lot in the past days). Just been busy here at home, promising to do my best at reviewing again more. Plus I am still working on a new tab for all of you to enjoy here soon. I just can't figure it out 100% yet. Takes some time. Now make sure you do stay tuned for more, I am going to try and watch some movies for review today. Thanks for your continued support and make sure you stay tuned for more . . .

The Motion Picture Buff

War of the Worlds REVIEW

The "Motion Picture Buff" would like to present a review for the remaking of a classic story, "War of the Worlds." This review, as you can see above, is for the 2005 film directed by Steven Spielberg. "War of the Worlds" is about how aliens planned along time ago to wipe out our world and now they are. This film follows Ray Ferrier (Tom Cruise's character) who is trying to stay alive, and also keep his two children alive with him.

Starting of this review lets talk about the positives that had come from this movie shall we? Well the visual effects were just amazing. They had gotten an Oscar nomination for it so I guess they are REALLY amazing! The sound effects were also great, and not just to my standards though too. Apparently the Academy thought so too. This film stars Tom Cruise, Dakota Fanning, Tim Robbins, and Justin Chatwin. They all did a fabulous job I thought in this movie. Tom Cruise seems to do a good job in every film he is in, so good job. I can see how Dakota is like one of the greatest rising young stars of my generation. She played her part perfectly, Steven Spielberg must taught her a lot making this film. Tim Robbins, I never knew he could play a part like that so well. Just absolutely believable. Then there is Justin Chatwin, to whom I have never heard of, and still to this day never heard of. He did a good job I thought. Hopefully I will see him sometime in the future.

Well now we have got to get to the negatives, because for this film there were quite a few things that had bothered me. The story line is what had really bothered me. Ugh at the end of this movie I was just like, "Nope nope, they better not do what I think they are going to do!" Guess what they did though? They did exactly what they should not have done, TWICE!!! Ugh made me so ridiculously angry because it was a halfway decent film until the end happened and those two things bothered the crap out of me. Then there was how the movie rapped up, and I was like, "Um um um NOPE!" Lets just say (without giving anything away) . . . that it was to simple. Then there was the reason of why did the aliens want to attack us? I never heard in the movie why? There had to be a reason right? Those were really the things that had bothered me, and they were just really major things for each of them.

So all-in-all this film is decent, that is what I will give it. You will enjoy watching it once, but its nothing that your going to be to excited about after. I will give it a "Rent Worthy" rating, which means its only really worth renting. If you ever think about buying it . . . don't. Trust me, you will regret it. The number rating on the scale though, I will have to give this movie a 3 out of 5.

Wel first thing I want to do in my wrap up here is that I want to apologize for the lack of reviews and information in the past weeks. I was on vacation in Norway, and had no time what so ever to do reviews, but I am back and I will be reviewing movies like crazy again. I will also be doing more "Trailer Talks" and more information on the movie industry. I want to say thank you for your continued support here on the blog also. I would like to point out before the end of this post here that the "Trailers for Upcoming Movies" tab above is now gone, and I will be introducing something better SOON! Now make sure you stay tuned for more . . .

Monsters VS Aliens REVIEW

The "Motion Picture Buff" would like to present a review for the animated feature film "Monsters VS Aliens" which was released in 2009. This film is about a woman who on her wedding day is struck by a meteor and is turned into a giant human being with amazing strength. The U.S. government steps in and makes her part of a secret team of monsters. They are then needed to solve a certain alien problem that could threaten the world.

Well for this review lets start out with the positives. Well I thought that this movie was genuinely funny, I mean yeah sure there were some spots that could be shove down your throat, but it was good stupid funny though. I loved how Hugh Laurie voiced an AWESOME monster in this film, I thought his voice fitted it perfectly. I loved the president character in this film (voiced by Stephen Colbert). Rainn Wilson in this movie to was just perfect. Seth Rogan as B.O.B was great also, loved his laugh and his voice just fit the character along with Will Arnett as "The Missing Link." Whoever chose the cast to voice these characters, "Props to you!" The story line of this film was decent. Seemed not to be sure where it was going but all-in-all it was decent. The animation was good too. Lets just say if your a parent and wondering if your kid will enjoy this movie along with you? Well pick up this movie at the rental place of your choice.

Negatives to this film? Yes there are of course, in no way is this movie perfect. As mentioned above it could be a little over the top in funny in some spots. The movie tries (in spots) to hard to be 3D. Then there is Reese Witherspoon who I don't like for a voice as her character. Kind of bothered me, but then the real bother of this film which is supposed to be a kids film, well where is the message for kids? There was a message for adults (kind of) but no message for a kid to understand? I believe that every movie should have a point to it.

So all-in-all a kid film that you and the kids will enjoy. No need to go buy it though really, just pick it up at the rental place (like I said above). You should gets some laughs out of you, I did with some spots. For its rating, I am going to have to give it a 3 out of 5. So need a movie to rent, this one is worth checking out.

Well thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed this review of "Monsters VS Aliens." I said yesterday that I would have a new type of post up for you, I didn't get around to it. I do want to say that I am working on it, and I just want to make sure it is perfect so make sure you stay tuned for that. I do have a message for you though, but not until tomorrow night will I tell you. Thanks again for reading and giving me your support here. I hope you continue to enjoy my reviews. Stay tuned for more . . .

The Motion Picture Buff

Charlie St. Cloud REVIEW

The "Motion Picture Buff" would like to present a review for the feature film "Charlie St. Cloud" which stars Zac Efron. In this film Charlie (Zac's Character) has to learn to let go of his brother, to movie on in life, who died in a car accident with Charlie at the wheel.

For this review lets start with the positives shall we? Well I think that Zac Efron did a pretty good job with his crying/sad scenes, when he cried it seemed (to me) totally believable. I thought Amanda Crew as Charlie's love interest in this film did a good job, along with some other actors within the film that weren't all important. They just seemed to do a good job though I thought. Now I liked the premise of this film quite a bit. I like what it is trying to tell, so its message to us the watcher really. I do have more to say about that later in the review though. This movie did happen to touch my heart in some ways, so I give them some props for that. Oh I would also like to say that I did like the chemistry between Zac and Amanda. They seemed to have beautiful chemistry. I do want to include that I liked Zac and Charlie Tahan (played the character of Charlie St. Cloud's brother Sam) chemistry as well. They really did seem like two brothers, which was good.

Now there were quite a few things that I have to say against this film though. Like I had said above, I did like the premise of this film, but I didn't like the entire way it was all brought out. I guess I felt like this movie was extremely slow in some spots, and that some things (scenes I guess) weren't really necessary. Like there is this one scene near the end that I guess they could have cut out, because it never really helped tell the story at all. Just a pointless scene. I didn't really like the acting from Charlie Tahan. I feel like they could have had some other kid that could have done better (except chemistry with Zac). I do not like a movie that has a quick love story in it. Like when they meet and get to know each other for the first time in there lives, and then they are 100% fully in love. I mean yeah there is such thing as love at first sight, but nope not like this. So that kind of bothered me as well. I do also want to point out that this movie can be a bit confusing in parts, and can just be plain weird with some of Zac and Charlie's scenes. I mean yeah this movie is centered on letting go of someone you loved, but I think this movie stretches that just a little bit too far for my taste I guess.

So all-in-all what is this movie going to get for a rating? Well if you are spending sometime with a girl/boyfriend, this movie might be a good watch (for the girls to enjoy guys). On the scale it is only going to be able to get a 2.5 out of 5. So a good date-night movie, but not really a movie anyone needs to see. You will live without seeing it, your not missing anything I promise. If you have seen it though comment below and let me know what you thought of this film?

Well thanks for reading the review here, and reading the blog in the past month that it has been open now! I hope you have a chance to check out the other parts of the blog here! Oh, do make sure (if you have seen "The Dark Knight Rises") that you vote on the poll. I also ask you to spread the word about the blog here (if you enjoyed it) to your friends, family, or jus anyone! It helps me out tremendously. Thanks again though, and make sure you stay tuned for more . . .

Trailer Talk: "The Words"

I would like to introduce a new section of blogs that I will be doing here on the blog. So far I do movie reviews and movie information, but now I am going to introduce "Trailer Talk." This is going to be for me to pick out a trailer (every once in a while) for us to talk about. It will be though a trailer for an upcoming film. I did something like this for the "Taken 2" trailer, but this might be a little different. So shall we do this?

Well the trailer today I would like to talk about is the trailer for the feature film released by CBS Films, and it stars Bradley Cooper. It is called, "The Words." This motion picture is about a writer who must realize the price for stealing another mans work. I currently have the trailer on my "Trailers for Upcoming Films" page, or you can view it below:

Now lets talk about is now that you have seen the actual trailer. I want to say that this film really connects to me in a way because I am an aspiring writer to be. I will NEVER copy someone else's work though. I have millions of ideas that I need to write anyway. What I think about this film though is that it looks like it could be a very good film. It has a beautiful cast in it. Jeremy Irons, I LOVE his voice as always. I like the idea behind this film too. We will have to see though won't we? What do you think? Will you see it? What do you think of the trailer?

"The Words" will hit theaters on September 7th, 2012.

The Motion Picture Buff

Due Date REVIEW

The "Motion Picture Buff" would like to present a review for the feature film starring Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis, "Due Date." This film follow Peter (Robert's character) who is trying to get home before his wife has their first child, but along the way Ethan (Zach's character) "accidentally" sabotages ways to get there. They are in a hurry to get home before she has the baby.

For this review lets start with the positives of this movie shall we? Well I really do like Robert Downey Jr. in this movie. He always seems to play his parts in the movie very well, he just seems to become his character very well. I would though have to say that the rest of the acting in this movie was eh (get to it later). The plot of this film was very good. I did really like it, it seemed to flow very well. It kept me interested I guess I could say (exceptions below). Um . . . there were a couple parts I guess where it was a little funny but not all of it was really. This movie did do a very good job at getting to your heart though, and Robert has helped with that quite a bit actually. Oh, Zach could also touch your heart too. So yes it had somewhat of a good message to it, and I do like how it ended the film. It seemed like it was a realistic ending (somewhat).

Now this movie is nowhere near perfect (like "The Dark Knight Rises"), so it does in fact have quite a few negatives to it. To start them off I am going to have to say I am getting sick of Zach Galifianakis's performance's as a dumb-ass. They are starting to get annoying, can he even pull of a serious role as a main character. Sure thats what he does best at, but it has to come to a point where it just becomes annoying. Well, he hit that with this movie. The other performances in this film were so short that it really never matter. Even though they didn't even see, like they were acting. Just seemed like they were asked to read this line for the film. Moving on to the plot, well there were some gaps in it at point, but I can't give anything away so I can say where, but when watching the film you will see some huge gaps. Um, I didn't like who all of a sudden something between the Peter and Ethan changed. Seemed a little unrealistic. It was like one second this, then blink and it was changed already. Oh and how funny was this movie? Well I laughed maybe (and I mean maybe once) otherwise I might have smiled at one part. Other than that it was again another shove down your throat funny movie.

So all-in-all a somewhat heartfelt movie, that tries to be funny, but has one good actor in it! Um not really a movie you should ever buy, um I guess if you couldn't find anything better and want something new to watch (and its a last minute thing) you could rent this. That will be my rating there, on the scale I will give it a 2.5/5 rating. Now leave a comment below if you have seen this movie (or after seeing it) telling me what you thought about this film.

Well thanks for reading everyone. Now make sure to vote on the poll in the sidebar if you haven't yet, I just updated it yesterday for you all. Also if you haven't subscribed to the blog via email, you can do that too in the sidebar. Just type in your email address and hit submit to know when I update the blog next with more reviews or IMPORTANT motion picture news. I want to say thanks again for reading, and please make sure to tell your friends/family about the blog here (if you enjoyed it). Stay tuned for more . . .

The Motion Picture Buff