foxforcefive

one of the best sequels made. in respect to alien, it focuses more on action than suspense but i think that's why it's able to stand alone so well. the pacing of the movie is relentless for both the characters and the audience and it still provides scares that rival those of the first. aliens also cements ellen ripley's status as one of the finest female heroines cinema has to offer. just take a look at the epic catfight between her and the alien queen. you should just watch this movie.

80 _16%

The People Under the Stairs (1991) - Rated 22 Sep 2009

a crazy, crazy horror movie. the title is a little misleading though; the film has very little to do with the people under the stairs. i think this is beneficial because what we do get to see is an insane set of villains that are obsessed with locks, money, dogs, and finding the perfect child. the cat and mouse game between them and whoever enters their house is pretty entertaining. the movie loses points for some relatively bad acting and overall strangeness.

92 _61%

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009) - Rated 20 Sep 2009

one of the most enjoyable animated movies i've seen. it's extremely well written with lots of hilarious moments and surprisingly complex characters. the voice talent is also very impressive. bill hader and anna faris are awesome as the two leads and james caan makes you fall in love with flint's metaphor spouting father. the end of the film is filled with enough peril to keep both kids and adults entertained, and i loved how everything came full circle (even the shoes). don't miss this one.

82 _23%

Greenfingers (2000) - Rated 18 Sep 2009

nothing extraordinary, but this turned out to be a pretty touching story of redemption. being a prison movie, i figured that redemption would be mentioned eventually, but i loved how it came in such an unassuming manner. gardening is the last thing you'd expect a convict to do and it was cool to watch it change their entire demeanor. clive owen did a great job as usual and the entire cast proved to be very fun to watch.

90 _50%

Dawn of the Dead (2004) - Rated 17 Sep 2009

one of my favorite zombie movies. the first twenty minutes or so are among my favorite from any zombie movie. snyder's vision of the zombie apocalypse seems very real and terrifying. unfortunately, the rest of the film seems a little repetatitive until the gore filled last act. but it still has enough scares and zombie headsplosions to satisfy the masses and myself. very recommended.

91 _58%

Brazil (1985) - Rated 15 Sep 2009

A pretty bizarre movie about a dreamer (played exceptionally by pryce) living in a dysfunctional society run by paperwork and rules. all he really wants is to find his "dream girl," but he's constantly foiled by the government. gilliam's take on the future is fascinating to watch. i really liked the structure of the movie, starting out casually but getting very dark by the end. if nothing else, robert de niro's performance warrants at least one viewing of this movie.

97 _87%

The Usual Suspects (1995) - Rated 13 Sep 2009

really made me want to be a criminal. this movie made it look like so much fun. it's an excellent debut for brian singer with a great twist at the end. even if you know how it's going to unfold, it's very fun to watch. kevin spacey is awesome, as always and i really enjoyed the mythology between keyser soze.

84 _27%

The Cooler (2003) - Rated 13 Sep 2009

a pretty standard vegas movie that's elevated by excellent performances from william h. macy and alec baldwin. i loved how each character was so flawed but you couldn't help but enjoy their company anyways. the only downside i found was that i really didn't like maria bello's character.

78 _11%

Gigantic (2008) - Rated 07 Sep 2009

A bland and kinda pointless movie, in my opinion. i loved the characters, but i hated how all the relationships just appeared. we didn't get to really see them form or grow. it was also really random at parts with the mute galifianakis and the random bits with brian's family. zooey is the best part about this movie, and she performs very well, as usual.

89 _42%

Extract (2009) - Rated 06 Sep 2009

a consistently funny look at jason bateman's frustrating life as a plant manager. full of work humor, in judge's well established vein, but it really shines when it leaves the workplace. the exchanges between bateman's character and his well meaning friends are hilarious. ben affleck plays the drug altered, know-it-all, advice giving friend extremely well. the only downside is that the female characters were only present to move the story forward. wiig and kunis should have been used more.