Artwork by Rebecca Holt.

A nearly wordless documentary that chronicles the first year of four infants in the world, is how Babies can be simply defined.  It is not really a film that is supposed to have a point, as Babies just educates the audience on the lifestyles of four newborns while providing them with lots of cute baby antics sure to warm their hearts.  While it may bore some if they do not like newborns, chances are these babies and the ways they live will intrigue most who see the film.

Babies follows four infants; Bayar (Jargal) from Bayanchandmani, Mongolia; Ponijao from Opuwo, a village in Namibia, Africa; Mari from Tokyo; and Hattie from San Francisco.  All four were filmed from the moments they were born to their very first steps.  In the opening scene (which transitions to the births), the audience sees two African children, a boy and girl, playing with rocks.  However, the two soon get into typical sibling antics: the boy gently shoves the girl, and crying is the end result.  The moment these babies appear on the screen, there is a lot of “Awwws,” and “How cutes,” and I’ll admit, these words did come out of my mouth and not just during this scene.

There seems to be no constant order for the infants (there is no pattern for screen time), so I will introduce each one based on my order of favorites.  I will begin with the most entertaining baby, Bayar (from Mongolia), as he seemed to have the most personality.  A lot of the footage consisted of sibling rivalry, as Bayar had an older brother (only a few years older though) who seemed to like harassing him.  In one scene, Bayar’s brother is filmed striking him with a scarf, which eventually results in tears.  However, what made Bayar my favorite baby was his personality, as he loved animals (a lot of his filmed time was shown with animals).  His moods seemed to be diversified (he got upset sometimes, but for the most part, Bayar was happy), and for a baby, he did the most stuff.  When I saw a scene that showed Bayar atop a pickup truck, I could not help but wonder how he got up that high.

Mari (from Japan) would probably have to be my second favorite (although I did like Punijao a lot too), as she had personality as well.  In a scene that really does her justice, Mari is shown playing with various objects on the floor.  When she comes across a doughnut-shaped object, Mari begins trying to figure out what goes through the hole.  Soon getting frustrated, Mari begins to weep and kick her feet on the ground multiple times.  I liked this scene because although it may have seemed like she was crying, it also seemed as if Mari was just angry at not being able to succeed in fitting two objects together.

Although I might have like Mari more, Ponijao (from Africa) was just as interesting, if not more. Although the sanitary conditions were poor (flies everywhere, no toilet paper or showers, an oatmeal-like substance for a meal), Ponijao did not seem to mind, as watching the flies intrigued her. For an infant, Ponijao did some cute things such as dancing, but one of the best scenes in the entire film was when Ponijao balanced a cup atop her head while she walked.

I hate to say this, but I just did not think the baby from America, Hattie, was a good choice, as she did not have much personality.  Her parents were very ecological and into the whole “go green” scenario, as Hattie was even born the natural way, inside her home.  However, Hattie did not seem to have much, if any personality.  I could not help but wonder why her family was chosen to represent America’s babies, as there are many more exciting babies then her.

Yeah, I thought Babies was a cute movie, although parents may be more apt to enjoy it.  All four infants seemed to have an equal amount of screen time and it was interesting to watch them crawl, speak their first words, and take their first steps, simultaneously.  However, they never really did anything absolutely extraordinary – I have seen babies do things worthy of the camera before that were more amazing than anything shown in Babies.  Some people may be more interested in seeing Babies than others but it is a good movie, as it has an interesting concept.

Rating: ★★★★☆

Artwork by Rebecca Holt

In April 2008, The Walt Disney Company announced an independent film label, Disneynature, which releases nature documentaries in theaters.  Their first documentary, Earth, was released on Earth Day of 2009.  Mainly focusing on three species’ migration journeys over a year (the polar bear, African elephant, and humpback whale), I was a bit surprised to find out Earth was basically just re-edited footage of BBC’s nature documentary, Planet Earth.  This 2010 Earth Day’s Disneynature release was Oceans, which consisted of extraordinary footage one has to see in order to truly appreciate.

Produced in France, Oceans explores the Earth’s five oceans (Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Southern, and Arctic), getting spectacular footage of the creatures that inhabit them along the way.  I’ll start out by saying Oceans has only one con: Pierce Brosnan’s (Die Another Day) bland narration.  For a film that consists of amazing underwater footage, Brosnan does not seem to be the least enthusiastic, and instead talks like he is drifting off to sleep.  Listening to his humdrum narration, I wondered if Brosnan even got see the film, or if he was just simply reading from a script, which I am strongly against, as Oceans is a film one needs to see before applying narration.

While Brosnan may have not been the best choice when selecting a narrator, the footage captured is so breathtaking, it really does make up for his lack of personality.   The film opens with a boy admiring the ocean, just staring out into the vast waters.  The boy is not present for that long, as he is just a simple way to introduce and conclude the movie’s main subject: the creatures that inhabit our oceans.

I was surprised Oceans was able to cover every underwater species in a time period of an hour and a half.  There was not much information on many of these creatures and some were not even defined.  As a group of birds were swiftly diving into the water to feed on an enormous school of fish, I kept on hoping these birds’ specific name would be mentioned, as I did not know what birds actually did this feat (they sort of resembled seagulls, but I do not think they could dive into the water that fast) because they seemed to swim as well.  Like much of the underwater footage captured though, there was no specific description, as the wildlife for the most part, was supposed to speak for itself.

While all the footage is spectacular, there are some scenes that stand out.  There is a fight scene between a hermit crab and a shrimp, and even footage of ships catching fish with their nets (which becomes really depressing, as the audience not only sees species get caught and discarded, but water pollution which is so awful, the ocean water looks brown and dirty with lots of debris), but one of the best (and cutest) scenes is of baby sea turtles hatching out of their eggs and making their way towards the ocean.  However, a flock of seagulls soon arrive, swooping down and catching the little guys.  When Brosnan says few baby sea turtles make this journey each year, I couldn’t help but feel depressed, as they no sooner are born than they become something’s meal.

Disneynature’s celebration of Earth Day 2011: releasing Oceans, is a party everybody should attend.  The footage is truly breathtaking and although Pierce Brosnan lacks in narration personality, the spectacular camera shots really make up for it.  After watching Oceans, I just waned to get some scuba gear and dive into our oceans, experiencing all the wonders they have to offer.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Artwork by Rebecca Holt

Most know the Disney-owned company, Pixar, as they are the best when it comes to making computer-animated movies.  Since Pixar started this popular trend, many other companies have created computer-animated films, as well.  The biggest name next to Pixar is DreamWorks Animation (owned by Paramount) and in my opinion, some of their films are good, but nothing compared to Pixar’s.  However, DreamWorks Animation’s latest movie, How to Train Your Dragon, was almost as great as any Pixar masterpiece.

While I have enjoyed some of DreamWorks Animation’s films such as Kung Fu Panda, Bee Movie, and Madagascar, most of them do not live up to any Pixar movie.  Flushed Away and Shark Tale should have gotten flushed and eaten by sharks respectively, Monsters v Aliens was good but nothing monstrous, and by now I am just SICK of the Shriek franchise (I sure hope number four really is “The Final Chapter”).  In my opinion, Kung Fu Panda (DreamWorks’ 2008 wonder) was probably DreamWorks’ best animated film because it felt almost as wondrous as any Pixar movie.  However, that was before Po (Kung Fu Panda’s main character) came face-to-face with dragons.

How to Train Your Dragon takes place in the Viking village of Berk (which, as far as I know, is a made up location).  The film’s protagonist is a young Viking named Hiccup (voiced by Jay Baruchel, She’s Out of My League) who does not look like a true Viking.  Then again, neither do any of the teenage children as, for the most part, they are squeaky-voiced toothpicks who are trained to become true, big and buff Vikings.  “How?”  One might ask.  Well, as Hiccup begins to tell, “The only problems in our village are the pests. You see, most places have mice or mosquitoes. We have… dragons.”  As the film begins, the audience is introduced to the dragons as fierce, fire-breathing monsters who snatch the sheep up from the ground while the Vikings seem to protect their village from them.  Especially when they breathed fire, the dragons seemed to come to life in 3-D, as the fire breath brightened up the screen and the theater as well.

Hiccup’s father Stoick the Vast (Gerard Butler, The Bounty Hunter), the king of the Vikings, does not seem to understand Hiccup, as he just wants his son to become a true Viking.  When it comes time to train new Viking teenagers to become dragon-fighting warriors, Hiccup, by convincing his father to do so, enrolls in the dragon-fighting class taught by Gobber the Belch (Craig Ferguson, The Late Show with Craig Ferguson).  When introduced to the different dragons the new recruits had to battle, I could not help but think they resembled Pokémon, as they each had different structure (small, fat, two heads), colors, and personality, as did the other Viking teenagers (who were voiced by Ugly Betty’s America Ferrdra, Superbad’s Jonah Hill and Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Saturday Night Live’s Kristen Wiig, and Cloverfield’s T. J. Miller).

As action-packed as How to Train Your Dragon may sound by this point, do not worry, as the story begins to get really good.  During the film’s beginning, Hiccup shoots down a rare dragon called a Night Fury with a cannon he made.  After Hiccup’s dragon-fighting class the next day, he journeys into the woods, hoping to prove to his father that he is a true Viking by killing the dragon.  As he finds the Night Fury, however, Hiccup cannot harm it because he does not really want to kill any dragons, and sets the dragon free instead.  The dragon, who Hiccup dubbed “Toothless,” eventually begins to form a bond with the young Viking, which leads to Hiccup’s journeying to the woods every day to spend time with Toothless.  Being directed by Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois who helped create the 2002 Disney animated film, Lilo & Stitch, Toothless is said to be almost identical to the Stitch character.  While I do agree the two have similar facial expressions, I’d say Toothless is a more memorable character, as his tame animal-like personality makes him my favorite dragon character ever.  While Hiccup was befriending Toothless, I did not think of him as a terrifying dragon; I thought of Toothless as more of a huge and timid, but lovable pet.

Compared to other DreamWorks Animation films, How to Train Your Dragon is probably their best yet.  I did enjoy the 3-D effects because not only did it have the usual objects coming at the audience (such as dragon fire breath, Viking weapons, and splashes of water), but it had some of the best depth I have ever seen in a movie, animated or not.  The 3-D sequences where Hiccup and Toothless took flight were a hit among many critics; some of them even stated they were better than Avatar’s flight scenes.  As one who did not see Avatar in 3-D, I cannot compare its 3-D effects to How to Train Your Dragon’s but I do see why the flight sequences were so popular, as while watching them, I too felt like I was riding atop a dragon.

If moviegoers do not get to see How to Train Your Dragon in 3-D, that should not stop them from watching the regular version, as while the 3-D effects are great, they are not necessary; it is the story that makes the film possibly DreamWorks Animation’s best yet.  The dragons DO NOT TALK (thank god)!  Honestly, if the dragons characters would have been more human-like, it would have ruined the entire movie, as it is their expressions (especially Toothless’) that give these beasts personality.  How to Train Your Dragon not only has great dragon characters, but the story itself is original too, as it has it all: action, comedy, drama, and even a little romance.  By the end, viewers will be wishing for their own dragon like Toothless, as he is really the main character here.

Rating:  ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Does the name Joan Jett sound familiar?  How about Cherie Curie or The Runaways?  Still have no clue of whom I am talking about?  Well, by seeing the new film, The Runaways, one will learn a little music history on a briefly famous rock band that only stayed together for a short period of four years.

Taking place in 1975 when “Rock was a man’s world,” The Runaways is a music biopic (a feature film about a famous person) about an all-female rock band, The Runaways.  The young and talented actresses, Kristen Stewart (the Twilight series), and Dakota Fanning (Push), portray Joan Jett and Cherie Curie who are not only the main focus of the band, but the film as well.  Joan Jett (Stewart) is a punk rocker: dressed in leather, jet black hair, and electric guitar in hand.  While attending a concert at a bar, Jett notices famous record producer Kim Fowley (Michael Shannon, Revolutionary Road) standing outside.  Excited to meet one of her idols, Jett acquaints herself to Fowley, telling him how she has an ambition to play in a rock band.  Fowley sees potential in Jett and introduces her to an up-and-coming drummer, Sandy West (Stella Maeve, Brooklyn’s Finest), telling them to give him a call when they have a few songs ready.  Once I saw Kristen Stewart appear on screen as Joan Jett, I immediately knew she had the look down, as no other young actress could portray Jett the way Stewart did.  In a scene towards the opening, Jett is being taught how to play guitar. However, Jett is learning how to play mellow beginner tunes, not the heavy and loud punk rock she wants to learn.  Rebellious, Jett plugs in her electric guitar and turns the amps up all the way, playing the music for which she becomes known.

Once Jett and West have done some rehearsals together, they give Fowley a call.  Gaining two more members: Lita Ford (Scout Taylor-Compton, Rob Zombie’s Halloween re-makes) the band’s lead guitarist, and Robin (Alia Shawkat, Whip It) a fictional bassist who represents Jackie Fox (she refused to give the rights for her to be portrayed), Fowley sees this band as being almost complete; they just need one more member: someone young and beautiful, willing to be the seductive girl.  While searching at a bar, Fowley and the girls are introduced to 15-year-old Cherie Currie (Dakota Fanning), the perfect fourth girl for the band.  Like Stewart, Fanning too was the perfect choice for this famous icon.  With makeup, both Stewart and Fanning were able to look older and almost identical to the actual musicians.  In Fanning’s first major scene, it was a bit comical, as she was performing at her school’s talent show, lip-synching to David Bowie’s Rebel Rebel, complete with a costume.

The Runaways’ first rehearsals take place in Fowley’s trailer.  Once I saw where The Runaways’ rehearsal “studio” was, I wondered why a supposedly famous record producer would choose his trailer?  Was this record producer not famous at all, an impostor, perhaps?  I guess Fowley wanted to keep it secret that he was working with an all-girl rock band.  Wanting the ambiance to feel authentic, Fowley finds three neighborhood boys to throw outside trash at the band while they perform.  It is during these rehearsal scenes that I find out Fowley’s personality is harsh and often vulgar.  Although he claims the girls will become the next Beatles, Fowley treats them like trash, cursing and spewing vulgarities at them and, in a way, exploiting them as more than just a rock band.  However, as nasty as his personality may have seemed, Fowley may have been just showing the girls what it would be like when they actually got a gig somewhere, as back in these times, some did not want females playing rock music.  If they did, the audience would be chaotic at first.

The first major song performed by The Runaways was my favorite.  Trying to brainstorm something original, Fowley comes up with a phrase that relates to Cherie: “Cherry Bomb.”  When The Runaways first rehearsed, the Cherry Bomb song was nothing special, as the early rehearsals are nothing compared to the final result.  Soon, though, the audience did get a version that was a major highlight of the movie alone, as it sounded phenomenal – almost as great as the actual song.

While a lot of The Runaways is about the band’s short history, it does focus on the life of Cherie Curry as well.  Her actress mother leaves Cherie and her calm, quiet twin sister, Marie (newcomer Riley Keough) to venture off with a new husband, and Cherie’s father, it seems, is an alcoholic.  It was great to have a background story on Cherie, but I wish director Florida Sigismondi (music video director) had included Joan Jett’s story as well, as the film was only an hour and 45 minutes long.

While The Runaways may have a lot of clichés that one would find in any rock biopic (the most obvious one is Cherie’s drug addiction), it is a film that should not be missed, especially if one likes films “based on a true story.”  Both Stewart and Fanning give Oscar-worthy performances that consist of not only acting, but singing as well.

Seeing Kristen Stewart as Bella in the Twilight series does not really show her talent, as it is just a film made to entertain.  However, Stewart was the perfect choice for Joan Jett, and Dakota Fanning, who has been acting since she was a little girl (War of the Worlds, Charlotte’s Web, etc.), was the best choice for Cherie Currie as well.  While The Runaways does contain a lot of the elements that gave it its “R” rating, it is a biopic that informed many about a famous all-girl punk rock band.  It may have a short running time when compared to other similar biopics (the Johnny Cash biopic, Walk the Line, was a little over two hours long), but in reality, The Runaways were only together for a short period of time, four years to be exact.  Regardless, I highly recommend running – not walking, to The Runaways.

Rating:  ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

One of the most well-know directors in Hollywood is Martin Scorsese.  Although he has done many popular films such as Gangs of New York (2002) and Goodfellas (1990), it was not until 2007 when he won his first Oscar for directing the crime drama, The Departed (which also won Best Picture that year). Scrorsese’s latest thriller, Shutter Island, stars Leonardo DiCaprio (who appears to be in most Scorsese movies) who gives the usual phenomenal performance as a U.S. Marshal sent to investigate the disappearance of a patient in a hospital for the criminally insane located on the remote Shutter Island.

Set back in 1954, Shutter Island begins on a day when the weather is foggy.  U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio, Revolutionary Road) and his partner Chuck Aula (Mark Ruffalo, The Brothers Bloom) are on a small boat, sailing the ocean to reach the Ashecliff Hospital for the criminally insane, located on the remote Shutter Island.  While the boat does not seem to be sailing at a fast pace, the first shot of Teddy is of him vomiting at a toilet, as he claims to get seasick easily.  While I feel the film’s opening did not have to consist of a seasick Leonardo DiCaprio, I really did enjoy the musical score, especially in the beginning.  As the boat was sailing, there were deep, ominous foghorns heard in the background.  These horns were a part of a great score written by John Adams (On the Transmigration of Souls), which seemed to stay in tune with the film, as listening to the score alone will give one the sense of doom and evil.

After arriving on Shutter Island, Teddy and Chuck are introduced to the police force that seems to be hard at work searching the entire island for a missing patient.  The police warden (Ted Levine, Monk) makes them both hand in their firearms before escorting them to the main building where the head of the facility, Dr. John Cawley (Ben Kingsley, Lucky Number Slevin), tells them what happened: A patient (although they are prisoners, Cawley insists they be referred to as “patients,”) named Rachel Solando (Emily Mortimer, Lars and the Real Girl) mysteriously vanished from a locked room.   While both DiCaprio and Ruffalo gave amazing performances, Ben Kingsley was just as phenomenal.  In such an unsettling and bad situation, Cawley acts very calm, especially when he says things like, “It’s as if she evaporated, straight through the walls.”

As Teddy begins to do his own investigating because he believes they are not being told everything, he and Chuck begin searching the buildings and interviewing the patients.  While beginning his investigation, Teddy’s deceased wife, Dolores (Michelle Williams, Wendy and Lucy), comes to him in dreams to inform Teddy that Rachel is still on the island, as is Andrew Laeddis, the man responsible for starting the house fire that killed her.  I thought Teddy’s dream sequences were very well crafted, as they seemed quite surreal.  In one, Teddy is remembering the house fire, and while he is holding his wife, she begins to transform into ashes.  As one who likes films with a surreal feel to them, I really enjoyed these abstract scenes, as they were very unique, especially for a Martin Scorsese film (I do not think Scorsese has ever done scenes like this before).

After a destructive hurricane hits the island, Teddy and Chuck gain access inside the third building where the most dangerous patients are kept.  Once they were inside, I too felt a little on-edge.  The inside of the building looked like the set of the Saw horror movies, as it was old, dark, and rusty and it seemed more like a torture chamber than a prison, but I guess if one was a vile psychopath, this building’s ambiance would suit their needs just fine.  Teddy and Chuck meet the police warden again and are tasked with catching the patients who are loose (the hurricane knocked out the power lines): Chuck and the warden going one way and Teddy going the other.

As Teddy is wandering down the cell halls alone, he meets George Nonce (Jackie Earle Haley, Watchmen) who tells him Shutter Island is performing human experiments on the patients.  Jackie Earle Haley, known for his disturbing and rather creepy performances in films such as Little Children and as Freddy Krueger in the new Nightmare on Elm Street movie (April 30, 2010), gives another unsettling performance as a patient who, although seeming a bit friendly to DiCaprio, his horrifying appearance would make one think otherwise.

Both Scorsese and DiCaprio create another memorable masterpiece with Shutter Island.  While I was expecting the story to revolve around ghosts and the paranormal, I was a bit disappointed when there was none.  However, Shutter Island has a great and original story [which is based on Dennis Lehane’s (Gone Baby Gone, Mystic River) best-selling novel] with phenomenal acting (especially by Leonardo DiCaprio), surreal dream sequences, and a twist that, while many may see it coming, it continues with even more twists that may make them shutter.

Rating: ★★★★☆

Artwork by Danny Mardirosian

Director Tim Burton has created many original films: The Nightmare Before Christmas, Corpse Bride, Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorshands, and Big Fish.  However, now many loyal Burton fans are slowly distancing themselves from his latest films: Sleepy Hollow, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, because they are based on previous works (novels and Broadway plays).  However, regardless of how many times the story of Alice in Wonderland (written by Lewis Carroll) has been told, I highly recommend Tim Burton’s rendition.  While we all may know the story, chances are none of us has seen Alice in Wonderland like this, as the special effects and CGI are beyond impressive, especially in 3-D.

Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland is a bit different from the story we all grew up with and know today.  While the characters and basic idea for the most part seem unchanged, there are some new ideas and elements Burton has added to this current version.  Instead of taking place by a riverbank like in the novel, the film begins at a garden party attended by a large crowd of people including 19-year old Alice Kingsleigh (newcomer Mia Wasikowska, Defiance) and her mother.  To Alice, this party seems rather boring, as while she is dancing Alice wonders what it would be like to fly with the birds.  However, it comes as a shock to Alice when Lord Ascot’s (her late father’s business partner) son, Hamish, proposes to her in front of the entire crowd.  Needing some time and space away from everyone, Alice decides to follow a clothed white rabbit… all the way down a rabbit hole.  I am glad Tim Burton did not spend much time focusing on the “real” world and garden party because, like Alice, I too found the ambiance dull and boring.

The rabbit hole: this is where the 3-D begins.  As Alice is falling down, various household objects such as clocks, tables, framed pictures, and even a piano, seem to be flying in front of the audience.  After falling down the rabbit hole, Alice is in the familiar round hall with tiny doors.  To assist her with getting the key that opens the correct door are the “Drink Me” bottle of liquid (which shrinks her) and “Eat Me” cake (which enlarges her).  Once she is finally able to unlock the door, Alice is astonished with the ambiance of green woodlands, massive mushrooms, and giant talking flowers (that have human faces).  Burton did an amazing job bringing Wonderland to life, as the scenery was so breathtaking only computer animation and the Green Screen technique (which is what was used) could create it so amazingly.

However, Alice does not have much time to marvel at this strange world, as the White rabbit, McTwisp (Michael Sheen, The Queen), along with the Dodo (a blue bird with a walking stick), and the short, egg-like Tweedledee and Tweedledum (both Matt Lucas, Shooting Stars) must take Alice to the philosophical caterpillar, Absolem (Alan Rickman, Harry Potter series) who shows Alice the ancient parchment, the Oraculum (which explains Alice’s destiny).  Absolem is sure to be a favorite among the audience, as Alan Rickman (who plays Snape in the Harry Potter movies) was the perfect voice for the philosophical caterpillar.

After meeting Absolem, Alice finds out she is the Alice who must defeat the evil Red Queen’s Jabberwocky (a black dragon) and if she succeeds, the good, peaceful White Queen (Anne Hathaway, The Devil Wears Prada) will rule again.  When the Red Queen hears, “Alice has returned to Wonderland (although everyone else remembers it, Alice has no memory of visiting Wonderland when she was a little girl),” she sends her right-hand henchman, The Knave of Hearts (Crispin Glover, Hot Tub Time Machine), her Bandersnatch (giant vicious fur-ball-like dog with sharp teeth) and Jubjub bird after Alice and, although she is able to escape, McTwisp, the Dodo, and the Tweedles are captured.

One of Burton’s go-to actresses (who is also his wife), Helena Bonham Carter (Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street) plays the Red Queen, and she does an amazing job, as no other actress could don that temperamental personality the way Bonham Carter did.  The moment she looked anyone straight in the eye, I knew her words would be “Off with his/her head!”

After Alice’s new acquaintances are snatched by the Red Queen’s enslaved creatures, Alice is introduced to even more friends, including: Chessur, the evaporating Cheshire Cat (Stephen Fry, V for Vendetta) with mesmerizing eyes and a smile; Thackery, the March Hare who twitches and throws teacups (which come flying at the audience in 3-D); Mallymkun, the small but feisty Dormouse (Barbara Windsor, East Enders) who doubts Alice is the Alice; and finally (get ready to scream ladies) JOHNNY DEPP (Pirates of the Caribbean series) as Tarrant the Mad Hatter who, although a bit mad, is the one with whom Alice forms the best relationship.

Not only did I find the Cheshire Cat to be one of the best and coolest characters (his evaporating skills were beyond impressive and when he was not disappearing, his appearance made me want a cat like him), but the Mad Hatter was a great character as well.  Johnny Depp donned the makeup (the wild, orange hair and green contact lenses on his digitally enlarged eyes), wore the eccentric top hat and suit, and did an amazing performance (as always) acting mad.  It seemed that Burton used Depp’s name as a way to market the movie since the name “Johnny Depp” is the most noticable on the posters, advertisements, and end credits.  Depp however, truly deserves the credit because while newcomer Mia Wasikowska and box-office favorite Helena Bonham Carter give great performances, it is Depp who gives the best performance as the Mad Hatter, as he makes the entire audience (both males and females), mad or not, fall in love with the Mad Hatter.  As Alice’s father told her, “All the best people are mad,” and after seeing Johnny Depp’s performance as the maddest of the mad, I have to agree; all the best people are in fact, mad!

It seems most people either liked Tim Burton’s version of Alice in Wonderland or they hated it.  I did not like it or hate it, I loved it! Tim Burton created a breathtaking fantasy world and amazing characters, CGI or not.  Burton’s usual musical composer, Danny Elman, did a great job at writing a score which consists of not only the usual background music heard in most fantasy films, but also beautiful hymn-like songs that seem to talk about Alice’s adventure.  While Johnny Depp led an amazing group of people consisting of live actors and voice-overs, the entire cast gave phenomenal performances and each character had about an equal amount of screen-time.  For a 3-D movie, I can honestly say Alice in Wonderland is by far the best, as like in all 3-D movies, the depth is really good and there are many objects seen popping right in front of the audience (rabbit hole debris, teacups, leaves, evaporating Cheshire cats, etc.).

If I could, I would give Alice in Wonderland a rating far beyond five stars, as it is high on my list of all-time favorite movies, because after I saw this Tim Burton updated version I really wanted to journey down the rabbit hole and begin a new life Wonderland, helping the Mad Hatter host his tea parties.  In a way, the 3-D allowed me to do this, but after the film was over, I was a bit sad, as I wanted more Wonderland adventures.  After seeing Alice in Wonderland (hopefully in 3-D to get the whole effect), chances are all will love it because if they do not… “OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!”

Rating:  ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Artwork by Rebecca Holt

As one who has read the Harry Potter novels and seen all six films, whenever another beloved children’s fantasy novel becomes a film, I doubt it will never live up to J. K. Rowling’s magical saga.  After seeing the latest one, Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, my skepticism was once again correct.  Although the film is based on a different book series, its plot is very similar to that of the Harry Potter books/movies.

Being directed by Chris Columbus who created the first two Harry Potter films (Sorcerer’s Stone and Chamber of Secrets), Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (which is based on the first of the fantasy novel series) has a story that, although original, just seems like one that might be seen in a Harry Potter book.  Instead of a boy wizard with a lightning bolt scar, fans are introduced to Percy Jackson (Logan Lerman, Gamer), a boy who happens to be the son of Poseidon (the god of the sea from Greek mythology).

At the beginning of the film which takes place on Mt. Olympus (which is located at the top of the Empire State Building), Zeus (Sean Bean, The Hitcher, 2007) confronts Poseidon (Kevin McKidd, Made of Honor) when he finds out the storm clouds have no lightning as a result of his master lightning bolt being stolen.  Zeus blames Poseidon’s son (the gods/goddesses are allowed to venture down to Earth every once in a while to breed with a human and then return to Olympus) despite the sea god’s claim that the boy is innocent.  Zeus, being a little frustrated, decides to give Poseidon fourteen days to have his bolt returned or he will declare a war with the humans.  I know this film is trying to modernize Greek mythology in hopes of making younger people interested, but I wish they had made it more realistic.  Why put Mt. Olympus atop the Empire State Building as opposed to an actual mountain?  What would happen if a worker took the elevator to the top floor, would they too be transported to the home of the gods?

After that opening sequence, the audience is introduced to Percy Jackson.  While on a school field trip to a museum exhibition of Greek art, Percy is lured away from his class by his “substitute English teacher,” who changes into a Fury (a winged, demon-like creature) and demands he release the bolt.   Percy, clueless at what is happening, is rescued by his handicapped Latin teacher Mr. Brunner (Pierce Brosnan, Die Another Day) and best friend Grover (Brandon T. Jackson, Tooth Fairy).  As Brunner instructs him, Percy is eventually taken to a training camp for demigods, Camp Half-Blood (Another Harry Potter parallel perhaps?), as his mother (Catherine Keener, Where the Wild Things Are) tells him Poseidon is his father, and after he left she had to re-marry Gabe (Joe Pantoliano, Bad Boys II) who, although he provides them with housing, is a real jerk.

At Camp Half-Blood, Percy learns that Mr. Brunner is not handicapped, but the centaur (half man, half horse) Chiron, who is the camp’s trainer.  While Chiron seemed like a combination of Harry Potter characters – Dumbledore and Hagrid – the camp itself was more like something from The Chronicles of Narnia, as it trained kids in fighting skills.  I was not that impressed with the sword fighting, as there was hardly any of it and when there was, it was not that suspenseful.  While training in combat, Percy eventually befriends Annabeth Chase (Alexandra Daddario, All My Children), the daughter of Athena (the goddess of wisdom).  It seems Chris Columbus did not do much Greek mythology research, as Athena was a virgin who never bore any children.

One night at the camp, Hades (the god of the Underworld) appears in the campfire, holding Percy’s mother prisoner until he trades her for the master bolt.  Realizing he must venture to the Underworld and save his mother, Harry, Ron, and Hermione – woops – I mean, Percy, along with Grover and Annabeth, obtain a Harry Potter Marauder’s map-like map that locates Persephone’s pearls (if all three are obtained, one can gain access to the Underworld).

While obtaining the pearls, the trio travels across the nation by car, although they are only supposed to be around fourteen years old.  The first pearl’s location is at Aunty Em’s Garden Emporium, which has a landscape of stone statues.  Regardless of the name “Auntie Em” though, the place happens to be Medusa’s (female with hair full of snakes) lair.  Uma Thurman’s (Kill Bill Volumes I and II) Medusa was, for me, a phenomenal highlight of the movie, as she dressed/acted like a tough biker version of Medusa, and her personality was similar to the character she played in My Super Ex-Girlfriend (2006).

While Uma Thurman delivered an excellent performance, there were a few aspects that did not make since to me.  One pearl was located inside a casino run by Lotus Eaters (people whose primary food is lotus flowers which cause them to go into a sleep-like trans) and regardless of how special this casino was, Percy and his friends were able to just wander around without being asked for an I. D.  When the three finally did arrive at the Underworld, they were introduced to Persephone (Rosario Dawson, Seven Pounds) and Hades (Steve Coogan, Hamlet 2).  In mythology, Persephone is forced to live in the Underworld as Hades’ queen but in Percy Jackson, she seemed more intimate (like a Victoria’s Secret model) and Hades, the devious ruler of the Underworld, did not even look evil; instead he looked like an Alice Cooper wannabe rock singer!

While Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief does have a lot of Harry Potter similarities and many downfalls, it also has a few upsides as well.  The special effects are really good (especially a New York skyline battle scene at the end) and while there are not as many special effects as one would find in an epic Blockbuster, they do improve the film.  However, if one wants an action-packed Greek mythology epic, the upcoming Clash of the Titans should suit their needs, as Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief just seemed like a different take on the Harry Potter series.

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Artwork by Anna Becker

Every year, as the Oscar season comes and goes, people are rushing into theaters (or to their DVD players), trying to watch the winners and nominations.  However, every year when the Oscars are announced, their are always some disappointments or, as they are also known, snubs.  Last year, a few phenomenal movies in my opinion, Gran Torino, Valkyrie, Cadillac Records, and The Secret Life of Bees, all failed to receive a single nomination, and this year it seems there are even more films that got snubbed, some more so than others (at least some made it into at least one category).  So, while most may be trying to watch the winning and nominated films such as Avatar, The Hurt Locker, Crazy Heart, and The Blind Side, here is what I think the categories should have managed to squeeze in.

BEST PICTURE – When Kathryn Bigelow’s war movie, The Hurt Locker, took home quite a few Oscars including the biggest award: Best Picture, I could not help but think a few films were snubbed for Best Picture.  Many critics did not think of it as “number one,” but I really enjoyed Michael Mann’s gangster flick.  Public Enemies, starring Johnny Depp as “Public Enemy Number One” John Dillinger, consisted of superb acting, a great story, and plenty of action.  Four films that were released with a lot of hype prior to their release, Nine, Invictus, A Single Man, and The Soloist, were all snubbed a Best Picture nomination, and I cannot understand why.  While it may have only been an HBO movie, Grey Gardens was a superb biography flick that starred Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lange as the famous Beale’s who left their New York society and took refuge in their Long Island summer Home, Grey Gardens.

BEST ACTOR – As excited as I was when Jeff Bridges won the Best Actor Oscar for Crazy Heart, I felt many great actors were snubbed a nomination.  After seeing Johnny Depp’s performance in Public Enemies as John Dillinger, I was almost positive he would earn an Oscar nomination, as he nailed an iconic role, as did Robert Downey Jr. in Sherlock Holmes, where he portrayed the famous detective.  Unfortunately, since The Soloist was pushed back a year, by the time Oscar season arrived, many forgot about it, regardless of Jamie Foxx’s excellent performance as homeless musical prodigy Nathaniel Ayers.  Logan Lerman’s portrayal of the childhood of legendary actor George Hamilton in the little-seen My One and Only, was also left out for a Best Actor nomination, as were Ben Whishaw’s portrayal of famous poet John Keats in Bright Star, Paul Bettany’s portrayal of The Origins of Species scribe Charles Darwin in Creation, Matt Damon’s humorous role as whistle blower Mark Whitcare in The Informant, Nicholas Cage’s role as a bad cop in The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, and Clive Owen’s dramatic role as a single father raising two sons in The Boys Are Back.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR – Although I preferred Woody Harrelson’s performance in The Messenger over Best Supporting Actor-winner, Christophe Waltz, a few supporting actors were left out.  Harrelson gave another superb performance as the tough, zombie-killing Tallahassee in Zombieland.  The Soloist had a second phenomenal performance with Robert Downey Jr., as he was great as Foxx’s friend, newspaper columnist Steve Lopez.

BEST ACTRESS – Sandra Bullock may have one the Best Actress Oscar, but many other phenomenal actresses were snubbed from that category.  Not one, but two Amelia Earhart’s: Hillary Swank’s biographical portrayal (Amelia), and Amy Adams’ humorous version (Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian), did not earn a nomination, nor did Abbie Cornish for portraying poet John Keats’ lover, Fanny Brawne, in Bright Star.  Renee Zellweger portrayed George Hamilton’s mother in My One and Only, Emily Blunt portrayed Queen Victoria in The Young Victoria, Ellen Page played roller derby Hurl Scout, Babe Ruthless in Whip It, and a huge snub, Drew Barrymore, was phenomenal as Edith Bouvier Beale (Jackie Onassis’ first cousin) in the HBO film, Grey Gardens.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS – Although Mo’Nique may have deservedly taken home the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in Precious, while not many were snubbed, there were other great supporting actresses this year.  Penelope Cruz may have gotten nominated for her seductive role in Nine, but she was not the best out of seven women, as Kate Hudson, Fergie, and Marion Cotillard had better musical performances.  Cotillard was also just as good in Public Enemies where she portrayed Dillinger’s lover, Billie Frechette.  The Academy may not fancy comedies that much, but Bettie White’s performance as the hilarious grandma Annie in The Proposal was so memorable, it was Oscar-worthy, and so was Julianne Moore’s serious performance in A Single Man.

BEST DIRECTOR - If the Academy can honor people like Oscar winner, Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker), then why not also honor talented directors Clint Eastwood (Invictus), and Peter Jackson (The Lovely Bones), or even newcomers Drew Barrymore (Whip It), and fashion designer, Tom Ford (A Single Man) as they all did fantastic jobs in directing great movies.

BEST DOCUMENTARY - In a year where there seemed to be many great documentaries (the anti-dolphin slaughter piece, The Cove, was the winner), hardly any were recognized for the Oscar.  While documentaries about Mike Tyson (Tyson), Michael Moore’s view on the economy (Capitalism: A love Story), the history of the electric guitar (It Might Get Loud), a band called Anvil (Anvil! The Story of Anvil), and the editor-in-chief of Vogue magazine (The September Issue), all seemed to lose a nomination, the biggest disappointment would have to be the late Michael Jackson’s posthumous concert film, This Is It, which after seeing it, I expected it to receive at least a Best Documentary nomination.

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE - Well, at least they got four out of five right when Up (which was the winner), The Fantastic Mr. Fox, Coraline, and The Princess and the Frog, were all nominated but why nominate an independent film from Ireland, The Secret of Kells, which hardly anyone has heard of?  Since the Golden Globe nomination instead went to Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, I was expecting it to fill in the last Oscar slot or perhaps 9, A Christmas Carol, Monsters v Aliens, or most likely Disney’s other hand-drawn fantasy, Ponyo (which was the inspiration for The Little Mermaid) to be nominated for the fifth Animated Feature Oscar slot.

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM – While foreign language films are sometimes hard to come across in the United States, the ones that came to my mind for Best Foreign Language Film, were left out of the Oscar category and the winner, The Secret in Their Eyes (Argentine), I have never even heard of.  A few, however, had phenomenal acting such as Coco Before Chanel (France) starring Audrey Tautou as fashion designer Coco Chanel, and Broken Embraces (Spain) starring Penelope Cruz as an actress who has an affair with a famous film director, and The Maid (Spain) starring Catalina Saaverdra as a common house maid, and they all were forgotten.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY - Few films are original nowadays.  While the nominations for Best Original Screenplay are, in fact, original (The Hurt Locker, which is just another war movie, was the winner), I was hoping for films that went beyond originality.  For (500) Days of Summer and Moon, as slow as the stories progressed, they were very original.  While critics seemed to quickly forget the comical Gentlemen Broncos, after seeing the trailer (which consists of an author’s fantasy story being made into a movie), my first thought was, “As weird as this looks, it sure seems original.”  Also snubbed for a Best Original Screenplay nomination were Zombie land, and The Imaginarium or Dr. Parnassus.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY – It’s too bad that today, practically every film is an adapted screenplay because while the Academy could only nominate five (the winner was Precious), there were many forgotten.  Both The Fantastic Mr. Fox (which gradually expanded the book’s simple story), and Where the Wild Things Are (which, as boring as it was, did do a great job of adapting from the book) were adapted from best-selling children’s books, and more serious films such as Taking Woodstock, Whip It, Julie and Julia, Invictus, The Road, and The Lovely Bones were also adapted, this time from best-selling novels.  And let’s not forget Watchmen, which did an amazing job at adapting the best-selling graphic novel.

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE - As much as I love a good movie soundtrack, the score can sometimes be just as amazing.  This year, four great scores were chosen: Avatar, Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Hurt Locker, Sherlock Holmes, and Up (which was the winner).  However, a few great scores were forgotten: The Soloist, Nine, Invictus, The Lovely Bones, and Taking Woodstock.  A big snub in my opinion is Karen O (from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs) and the Kids, who created a wild but unique score for Where the Wild Things Are.

BEST ORIGINAL SONG - As one who is still waiting for Bruce Springsteen’s Oscar for his song, The Wrestler, I was glad that T-Bone Burnett won the Oscar this year for The Weary Kind from Crazy Heart.  However, other songs were forgotten such as two new songs created for the movie, Nine (Guarda La Luna sung by Sophia Loren and Cinema Italiano sung by Kate Hudson), Michael Jackson’s last song, This Is It (Michael Jackson’s This Is It), Paul McCartney’s I Want to Come Home (Everybody’s Fine), U2’s Winter (Brothers), Leona Lewis’ I See You (Avatar), and the comical Stu’s Song from The Hangover.

BEST COSTUME - While I do agree on the five movies nominated for Best Costume (Bright Star, Coco Before Chanel, The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus, Nine, and the winner, The Young Victoria), there were quite a few left out.  Movies like Public Enemies, Sherlock Holmes, and Creation, seemed to consist of nothing but olden-era costumes (fedoras, suits, elegant dresses) while Watchmen consisted of superhero outfits that were each unique in their own way (even if one did resemble Batman’s), and Where the Wild Things Are used large, furry suits supplied by the Jim Henson Company to create the “Wild Things.”

BEST MAKEUP - In my opinion, the Academy really screwed up with the makeup category.  I can see why Star Trek won, as the makeup involved with the Romulans was pretty great, but Il Divo and The Young Victoria?  Another foreign movie hardly anyone has heard of and a film that uses all it’s makeup for hair!  What about nominating movies where makeup was actually used on faces, such as the phenomenal use of it to age Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lange in the HBO movie, Grey Gardens, to mutate Wikus’ arm into a prawn’s in District 9, to turn an elderly lady into a hideous gypsy and complete the horror ambiance seen in Drag Me to Hell, or to “zombiefy” most of the human population in Zombieland.

TECHNICAL CATEGORIES - There are about six different categories that revolve around the technical parts of movies (art direction, sound editing, sound mixing, visual effects, film editing, and cinematography), and this year, it seems either Avatar or The Hurt Locker won every single one.  Well, Watchmen has it’s own blue person, and other visual wonders that frequent the movie such as a giant contraption built on Mars, a white tiger with antennae, and a giant airship that resembles an owl.  Another huge use of CGI and special effects was Peter Jackson’s use of it to create Susie’s “in-between” world in The Lovely Bones.  Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was only nominated for cinematography when it deserved more technical nominations, and Terminator: Salvation, 2012, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and even G. I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (which, as overdone as it was, had great visual effects) all failed to receive a single nomination in any technical category, and for what?  Blue people, Nazi-fighters, bomb squads, and Michael Bay’s giant robots that already won Oscars a few years ago.  In my opinion, since there are so many technical categories, the films nominated should be diversified, not the same ones for each category.

Artwork by Daniel Mardirosian

If familiar with Will Smith’s 2007 post-apocalyptic movie, I am Legend (one man is the sole survivor after an apocalypse and fights off contaminated humans), then The Book of Eli’s similar plot might seem familiar.  However, as much as I loved I am Legend, Denzel Washington’s performance in The Book of Eli exceeded that of Will Smith’s, and the film itself was better than most post-apocalyptic movies, and it even has a great twist worthy of my Movie Twists article.

Thirty years after a solar apocalyptic event, Eli (Denzel Washington, American Gangster) travels on foot towards the west coast of the United States.  His diet consists of whatever he finds (in the opening sequence, Eli uses an arrow to kill a lone cat), and to clean himself, Eli uses not a shower but those Kentucky Fried Chicken wet wipes that come in a packet.  Although he travels solo, Eli seems to be content, as he has his iPod (which I guess can still get charged even though an apocalypse has occurred), various weapons, and a book… the last Bible on Earth.

When Eli approaches a group of highway bandits who try to assault him, I got to witness some superb fighting skills, as he takes out his machete and swiftly kills them all in a memorable fighting sequence, which is one of many in the movie.  Entering a bar in a western ramshackle town, Eli is introduced to two characters: the diabolical Carnegie (Gary Oldman, The Dark Knight) and the curious Solara (Mila Kunis, That 70s Show).

As the builder and overseer of the town, Oldman gave a memorable performance as the story’s villain who just wants Eli’s Bible, as it is the last one.  When I usually think of Gary Oldman, his roles as Harry Potter’s godfather, Sirius Black, and Batman’s Lieutenant friend, James Gordon, come to mind.  Oldman’s villainous role in The Book of Eli was a memorable performance that came as a surprise to me.

While reading other reviews, I noticed many critics had negative comments about how Mila Kunis was dressed, a memorable one being that she “was spending a semester abroad in the post-apocalypse from her fashion school’s co-op program.”  After reading this, I began to question if these critics even saw The Book of Eli, as Kunis’ fashion looked pretty normal compared to everyone else’s.

As the film progresses, Eli begins to form a relationship with Solara and, although reluctant to accept at first, Eli eventually gains a fellow traveler.  During Eli and Solara’s time together, the directors (The Hughes Brothers, Menace II Society) were able to succeed by slipping in a few brief comical lines.  A memorable line was Eli’s response after he made a statement about faith, and Solara asked if the quote was from his Bible.  “No, it’s Johnny Cash ‘Live at Folsom Prison,’ he quipped.

While it did remind me and others of Mad Max (Mel Gibson, 1979), I highly recommend The Book of Eli; because while post-apocalyptic movies have frequented theaters lately (The Road is the most recent example), it was a bit different from the norm.  The main focus of the film was Eli, not the apocalypse, and Denzel Washington was a good choice.  If Will Smith (I could not help but think this role was written for him) had played Eli, chances are the movie would have too much action.  Washington’s performance as a lone, swift killer/protector of the book was not only good, but the general idea was, as well.  Hopefully, if an apocalypse does occur in our lifetime, most will have watched The Book of Eli beforehand, as this great film stands out from the crowd.

Rating:  ★★★★★

Artwork by Daniel Mardirosian

Chances are, most of us have seen a Peter Jackson movie, as his films stand out from others.  As evidenced by The Lord of the Rings trilogy and King Kong (2006), Jackson’s films usually contain fantasy elements, a lot of action and CGI, and a length of over two hours.  However, Jackson’s latest film, The Lovely Bones (based on Alice Sebold’s best-selling novel), was a bit different from his others.

“My name is Salmon, like the fish.  First name, Susie.  I was 14 when I was murdered,” is how young Susie Salmon (Saoirse Ronan, Atonement) begins to tell her story in The Lovely Bones.  Susie is relating her tale from the heavens, where she watches over her family and her killer as well.  Ronan, who received much praise (and even an Oscar nomination) for her acting in Atonement, gave another phenomenal performance as Susie Salmon.  During her narration, I felt as if Susie was at peace, as she sounded hopeful and calm instead of frightened, which most of us would probably feel.  Listening to Susie’s story, I could not help but feel sorry for her.

Before her fateful day, Susie was just an average girl:  she was a photographer (which plays an important role later on) with a loving family consisting of a brother and sister, parents Jack (Mark Wahlberg, Max Payne) and Abigail (Rachel Weisez, The Constant Gardener), and Grandma Lynn (Susan Sarandon, Thelma and Louise). 

At school, Susie met a boy whom she was supposed to meet at the mall but a few days before the event, she was murdered.  One day during the onset of winter, Susie was walking home from school, treading across a flat and barren cornfield.  When her neighbor, Mr. George Harvey (Stanley Tucci, The Devil Wears Prada), invites her underneath a trapdoor to see what he created.  Susie, reluctant at first, eventually decided to check it out.  When she did, my first thought was, “As a young girl, why would you want to venture underground with a strange man?”  Stanley Tucci (whose performance got him nominated for an Academy Award for best supporting actor) gave a creepy and unsettling performance as Susie’s killer.  As nice as he led her to believe he was, Mr. Harvey lured Susie in, and when she realized what was happening, it was too late.  I am glad Peter Jackson did not show the graphic details of Susie’s murder, because the audience can figure it out for themselves.

After her death, Suzie’s family became deeply affected.  Her father became somewhat obsessed with the case, as he wanted the murderer brought to justice.  When Suzie’s mom became bedridden, Grandma Lynn was called in to take care of things (the children, and house).  During this brief scene, Susan Sarandon gave a memorable performance as the hip grandma, but I felt as if her role was not big enough, as she did not have much screen time.

As tragic as is Susie’s death was, her afterlife was visually breathtaking.  After her death, Susie was in a dimension that was not earth or heaven; it was the in-between.  Once introduced to this surreal, in-between world, I immediately knew it was created by Peter Jackson, as it was full of amazing CGI techniques.

When Susie’s father was upset with her death, he began to break the tiny ships in bottles that they built together.  In Susie’s world, however, these ships in bottles were massive as they came falling from the sky.  In fact, most of these CGI effects were so amazingly done, they really need to be seen in order to plant a picture in the mind.

Since I never got the chance to read the novel before I saw The Lovely Bones, I cannot compare the two; however, I have heard the book is much better (which is common with most literary works that become movies).  Regardless, I thought The Lovely Bones was amazingly put together and I highly recommend it.  While the book is said to be more for teenage girls, I think the movie is for everyone, especially Peter Jackson fans.  The Lovely Bones is a familiar Jackson movie (a running time of over two hours, amazing CGI, and lengthy end credits) but on a subject he has never covered before.  Nevertheless, Jackson did a great job, and while everyone may not understand the movie (it is a deep movie), those who are spiritual and believe in an afterlife will really love The Lovely Bones.

Rating:  ★★★★★