My Recommendations Breakdown

Since Dashawn "Greatness" Byron thinks i dont give out ANY recommendations, here is the breakdown of what I've reviewed so far. Here goes:

BUY IT
The highest honor a movie can get. The movie may not the best movie, but one i feel is good enough to watch more than once.

Adventureland - A real identifiable movie that I feel many will relate to and enjoy.
Away We Go - The most entertaining, sweet, funny, real movie I've seen in years.

RENT IT
Reserved for movies that deserve one or two good viewings. Doesn't mean the movie isn't good, just means you might not wanna see it beyond a few times.
Sunshine Cleaning- Strong performances and an engaging story makes this a must-watch.
State of Play- A thriller with many twists and turns.
Dance Flick - It's hit and miss, but worth a good night of think-less laughs.
Monsters vs. Aliens - A kid movie with enough adult jokes you won't be bored.

WAIT TIL IT COMES ON HBO
Don't waste 5 bucks renting, or 20 bucks buying this movie. These movies are good enough to watch on a boring night when nothing else is on.
Fighting - Good in theory, but a weak plot and weak acting make this movie not worth you spending dead presidents.
Last House on the Left - Not bad, but gruesomeness and bad dialogue makes this a wait and see movie.
Crank: High Voltage - High on action, but lowbrow. No rush to see this film.
Next Day Air - A waste of a talented cast and a potentially good storyline.
Observe and Report - Had it's good moments, but nothing great. Watch it later.
Ghosts of Girlfriends Past - Good movie, but i could never advise anyone to spend money for a movie they've seen before.

NEVER, EVER SEE THIS MOVIE
The worst of the worst. Not only should you not waste time spending money on this, don't waste your time either.

Bring it On: Fight to the Finish - Terrible, terrible, terrible.

Movie Review- Away We Go

Perfect casting, great writing, director Sam Mendes ("American Beauty") and an even better storyline has made "Away We Go" the best movie i have reviewed. How's that for an introduction?!

"Away We Go" follows the life of irreverent, underachievers Burt (John Krasinski), a college dropout who sells insurance to insurance companies and Verona (Maya Rudolph), an artist who paints intestines. The couple that has been together since college, discover that they are expecting. Happy, but nervous, they go to Burt's eccentric, hippie parents (Jeff Daniels and Catherine O'Hara) for a visit. The parents drop a bomb when they announce that Burt's father got a job in Belguim for two years and is leaving within the month. They offer them the house for 2 years as long as their real estate agent doesn't find a renter before then. Moments later he does. Later that night Verona comes up with an idea to find a new place to raise their child. With no drawbacks they hit the road meeting up with old friends and family, all the while discovering things about their lives and relationships.

Pros:
As I mentioned, perfect casting. Maya Rudolph and John Krasinski are perfect as an odd couple with no direction. They have really good chemistry and created believable, relateable characters. More so, the supporting cast of out-of-whack characters add to the blend of the film and added great laughs. All of the supporting cast, who aren't on screen longer than 10 minutes apiece, have a lot of depth to them, a consequence of impeccable writing. The dialogue is smart, even when it's lowbrow. But the lowbrow is acceptable mainly because it matches the character who is speaking at the time. The movie never misses a beat, from start to finish.

Cons:
The ending was predictable. Initially, I assumed the end would be a slow-motion, labor scene with all the characters smiling and laughing, and cooing at the new baby. Kudos for not doing that. But as soon as Verona's sister mentioned the house I knew exactly what the end was going to be. I wish they could have made that a little less obvious.

Recommendation:
Buy it.

Written By:
Dave Eggers
Vendela Vida

Directed By:
Sam Mendes

MAIN CAST:
John Krasinski ("License to Wed","Leatherheads")
Maya Rudolph ("Prairie Home Companion", "Idiocracy")
Jeff Daniels ("Dumb and Dumber", "State of Play")
Catherine O'Hara ("Home Alone", "A Mighty Wind")
Allyson Janey ("Drop Dead Gorgeous", TVs "The West Wing")
Jim Gaffigan ("13 Going on 30", "17 Again")
Carmen Ejogo ("The Brave One", "Pride and Glory")
Maggie Gyllenhaal ("Stranger then Fiction", "The Dark Knight")
Josh Hamilton ("Ice Age", "Bourne Identity")
Chris Messina ("Made of Honor", "Julie and Julia")
Melanie Lynskey ("Sweet Home Alabama", "The Informant")
Paul Schneider ("The Assassination of Jesse James...", "Lars and the Real Girl")

Similar Titles:
Garden State, Juno, American Beauty

Movie Review-Monsters vs. Aliens

A steady trend over the last few years, in terms of animation features, is the same. A large, talented voice cast, smart writing that appeals to both children and adults, and awesome animation. I don't say any of the previous things as a negative, its actually a welcomed trend because it works, for both the audience and the company..."Monsters vs. Aliens" did make almost $400 million dollars.

PLOT:
Susan (Reese Witherspoon) is your average lady. She is smart sweet and run-of-the-mill. She is set to marry egotistical, local weatherman Derek (Paul Rudd). On the day of her marriage, Susan is hit by a meteroite that makes her hundreds of feet tall. A wedding guest calls the government and Susan is quickly captured by government agents and taken to an unknown location. She is met by a group of monsters all locked in the same room. Dr. Cockroach (Hugh Laurie) is a former scientist who turned himself into a cockroach by mistake. B.O.B. (Seth Rogen) is a gelatin-like substance who has no brain. The Missing Link (Will Arnett) is a fish-ape with attitude. And Insecto, the only one who can't talk, is a giant insect...yep. After aliens invade the earth, the monsters are called into action to save the world, while Susan tries to maintain the life she had before becoming a monster.

Pros:
The cast is exceptional, especially Seth Rogen. His B.O.B. character, who has no brain but can magically come up with great ideas, had the best lines. The writing, not far away from other animated features, is sharp and full of references from other popular films. The writers do a great job of making the movie funny enough for kids, and smart enough for adults not to wanna kill themselves during. It may not go down as a classic animation film, but as far humor it should.

Cons:
The only drawback I think would be for the "tweens" crowd. About 80% of the dialogue makes reference towards adult-themed things, and the jokes for the younger crowd may be too young for them. But that is far-reaching.

Recommendation:
Rent it.

Written by:
Maya Forbes
Wallace Wolodarsky

Directed by:
Rob Letterman
Conrad Vernon

MAIN CAST:
Reese Weatherspoon ("Legally Blonde", "Sweet Home Alabamaa")
Seth Rogen ("Knocked Up", "Horton Hears a Who")
Hugh Laurie ("101 Dalmations", "Stuart Little")
Will Arnett ("Blades of Glory", "Brothers Solomon")
Kiefer Sutherland ("Young Guns", "Phone Booth")
Rainn Wilson ("The Last Mimzy", "The Rocker")
Paul Rudd ("Clueless", "The 40 year old Virgin")
Stephen Colbert ("Bewitched", "The Love Guru")
Julie White ("Transformers", "Nanny Diaries")
Jeffrey Tambor ("There's Something About Mary", "The Grinch")
Amy Poehler ("Baby Mama", "Shrek the Third")
Ed Helms ("Evan Almighty", "Meet Dave")
Renee Zellweger ("Jerry Maguire", "Bee Movie")
John Krasinski ("Shrek the Third", "License to Wed")

Similar Titles:
Shrek the Third, Monsters Inc., The Incredibles

Next review:
Away We Go-Trailer

Movie Review- Ghosts of Girlfriends Past

I came into this film thinking automatically that this is yet another cheesy, romantic movie starring Matthew McConaughey. Now it is a romantic comedy and it does have a little cheese sprinkled on it. But i gotta say that overall this movie is way better than the predictable sap McConaughey has pissed out over the last few years.

PLOT:
Connor Mead (Matthew McConaughey) is a top Hollyood photographer is has no problem getting women and is not shy about his lack of respect for love and marriage. Mead shows his disrespect early decided to break up with 3 women at once via computer chat and then immediately rolling around in the sheets with a young singer (Christina Millian). Connor leaves to travel to his late uncle's estate to be the best man at his brother Paul's (Brekin Meyer) wedding. To his surprise old flame Jenny (Jennifer Garner), is there as a bridesmaid, conjuring up old feelings. At night, the spirit of Connor's dead uncle Wayne (Michael Douglas) returns to send him 3 ghosts that try to help him see the error his ways and change his life forever before he loses everything.

Pros:
McConaughey isn't doing anything different then we've seen before, but the writing in this one is much more complimentary to his charm. I must say he is so charming i almost wanted to sleep with him. Also, the movie is cheesy, but it knows it. It charmingly dodges some predictability by displaying Connor's true feelings for Jenny early in the story. Some movies have a habit of not explaining why the lead is a pig, but this one was out there and open. Also, romantic comedies, are sometimes high on romance and low on comedy, but there was alot of genuine laughs in this one, believe it or not.

Cons:
All the elements are there. A romantic banter between the main guy and girl, a resistant love interest, a convincing 3 minute speech that makes you forget all wrongdoing, and the guy getting the girl. You can't avoid it, but that may be the turn off. We've seen this before, and even worse, from the same people before. No matter how charming McConaughey is, he can't escape this movie inevitably being compared to his other films. Jennifer Garner at times looks like she is struggling to keep her character likable. She is often overshadowed by McConaughey's likableness, the opposite of what it should be to a certain extent. If it wasn't for the slow motion close-ups on Garner's face showing how she really feels, I would quickly forget she has a soul. Much like her performance in "Juno". I really just don't think Garner is very talented anyway.

Recommendation:
Watch it on HBO.

Written by:
Jon Lucas
Scott Moore

Directed by:
Mark Walters

MAIN CAST:
Matthew McConaughey ("A Time to Kill", "Edtv")
Jennifer Garner ("Juno", "Elektra")
Michael Douglas ("Wall Street", "The War of the Roses")
Breckin Meyer ("Road Trip", "Rat Race")
Lacey Chabert (TVs "Party of Five", "Mean Girls")
Robert Forster ("Jackie Brown", "Like Mike")
Anne Archer ("Patriot Games", "Clear and Present Danger")
Daniel Sunjata (TVs "Rescue Me", "The Devil Wears Prada")
Noureen DeWulf ("The Comebacks", "The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard")
Christina Millian ("Be Cool", "Bring it On: Fight to the Finish")

Similar Titles:
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Failure to Launch, Click

Next Review:
Monsters vs. Aliens-Trailer

Movie Review- Observe and Report

If crude, lude, and nude, male nudity mainly, is your cup of tea, "Observe and Report" is good entertainment for you.

Much like in 1998 when "Armageddon" took all the attention of a better yet similar movie "Deep Impact", "Paul Blart:Mall Cop" overshadowed "Observe and Report". Though "Observe and Report" was only a little bit better and a completely different movie, especially in content.

Seth Rogen is Ronnie, a bi-polar, delusional, head of mall security who still lives with his drunk, promiscuous mother (Celia Weston). The mall has recently been terrorized by a man flashing woman in the parking lot. Ronnie along with his fearless crew (Michael Pena as Dennis, Juan and Matt Yeun as John and Matt, and trainee Charles played by Jesse Plemmons) decide to personally investigate the flasher after make-up counter worker and crush Brandi (Anna Faris) is traumatized.

Pros:
Seth Rogen is, as usual, funny. The movie, though dark in tone, has many quotable lines. Not nearly as many as Rogen's other films. The funniest scenes come from cameo appearances from Aziz Ansari and Danny McBride. One of Rogen's best qualities, which is creating a likable character, are shown here again. He's likable even when he's doing unlikable things.

Cons:
I am by no means a saint, but the word "fuck" was probably said over 200 times. Sometimes it fits, like the scene where he an Ansari's character go back and forth saying F-You for over 2 minutes roughly. But most of the time it was just slid in there for the hell of it. The film certainly has its draggy, borderline dull moments. But with the pace of the movie being so slow, that is destined to happen. But in those dull moments, a viewer may lose vital information because the movie is dialogue driven. Also, the original plot line seemed to get lost in the antics of Ronnie. Its starts out to be about the flasher but then becomes a different focus. The script is a little up and down, i hate to sayit, but it lacks focus in some parts.

Recommendation:
Wait til it comes on HBO.

WRITTEN BY:
Jody Hill

DIRECTED BY:
Jody Hill

MAIN CAST:
Seth Rogen ("Knocked Up", "Zack and Miri Make a Porno")
Anna Faris ("Scary Movie", "Just Friends")
Ray Liotta ("Goodfellas", "John Q")
Michael Pena ("Crash", "World Trade Center")
Jesse Plemons ("All the Pretty Horses", "Like Mike")
Celia Weston ("Igby Goes Down", "Runaway Jury")
Collette Wolfe ("Semi-pro", "Four Christmases")
Aziz Ansari ("The Rocker", "Funny People")
Danny McBride ("Tropic Thunder", "Pineapple Express")

SIMILAR TITLES:
The Foot Fist Way, Kicking and Screaming, Paul Blart: Mall Cop

Next Movie to be Reviewed:
Ghosts of Girlfriends Past-Trailer

Movie Review- Next Day Air

I guess i was wrong for entering into this whole thing with big expectations. I said to myself, "no this isnt a cheap black movie filled with bafoonish, pot-smoking, gun-carrying, foul-mouthed gangsters that I've seen in so many movies before...no way." Yea...I was wrong. Now don't get me wrong, it works sometimes, but this time it didn't.

Initially, the cast looks impressive. But if your expecting Chris Turk, Ford Prefect, Avon Barksdale, Day-Day Jones, or even Eddie Winslow, you are way off base. The movie should be way funnier than it is, but shotty writing and an at times confusing plot makes "Next Day Air" fall short of expectations.

NOTE: The ending was bonkers and out of the 1000 different ways it could have went, they chose the worst in my opinion.



PLOT:
Leo (Donald Faison) is an incompetent NDA (i.e. UPS, FED-EX) driver who loves to smoke weed. He's in hot water with his mom/boss Ms. Jackson (Debbie Allen) who tells him if he screws up one more time he's fired. He delivers a big-time drug dealers package of cocaine to the wrong apartment that is occupied by dumb crooks Brody (Mike Epps) and Guch (Wood Harris), setting a series of inconceivable events involved drug dealers, storage workers, drug runners and other NDA workers all in a chase to get the package.

Pros:
The film did have some funny moments. The shear ridiculousness makes you laugh alone. It tries to be different than your normal comedies. It uses flashbacks and animated graphics to add to the odd story. Faison is naturally entertaining but Mos Def supplies the best laughs in only 2 scenes. The most genuine laughs are in the first 15 minutes, before the story gets erratic.

Cons:
So there is nothing wrong with an ensemble piece. I mean i love movies with large casts. But many of the characters in this film were under utilized and not given a chance to show their comedic talents, especially Mos Def, who has great comedic timing is only there for 2 scenes. And so many characters seem to fall in and out of the movie. One minute you are interested in them and then you don't see them for 8 or 9 more scenes. There was just too much stuff going on for such a flawed storyline. I would have loved to have scene these very funny actors and maybe even their characters in a movie where they all work together in the same scenes and not a 3 minute scene where they just shoot eachother.

Recommendation:
Wait til it comes on HBO.

WRITTEN BY:
Blair Cobb

DIRECTED BY:
Benny Boom

MAIN CAST:
Donald Faison ("Clueless", TV's "Scrubs")
Mike Epps ("Next Friday", "Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins")
Wood Harris ("Remember the Titans", TV's "The Wire")
Mos Def ("Be Kind Rewind", "Cadillac Records")
Omari Hardwick ("Beauty Shop", "Miracle at St. Anna")
Darius McCrary (TV's "Family Matters", "Transformers")
Cisco Reyes ("Feel the Noise")
Yasmin Deliz
Emilio Rivera ("Spiderman 3", "Street Kings")
Lobo Sebastian ("Major Leauge: Back to the Minors", "Longest Yard")
Malik Barnhardt ("8 Mile", "Get Rich or Die Tryin'")
Debbie Allen ("Fame", "Blank Check")
Lauren London ("ATL", "This Christmas")

SIMILAR TITLES:
All About the Benjamins, Next Friday, Half Baked

MOVIES TO BE BLOGGED:
Observe and Report-Trailer
Ghosts of Girlfriends Past-Trailer

Movie Review- Crank: High Voltage

Pointless sex, graphic nudity, moral ignorance, corse language, and violence, lots and lots of violence. That pretty much sums up "Crank:High Voltage".

Now i don't do drugs, but while i was watching this movie, I imagined that "Crank 2" is what people on an acid trip see when watching a normal movie. It had a real video game feel to it. It was hard to judge this movie, because in style and story, this movie is an acquired taste. Though the initial presentation looks good on the plate for a second, it needs to go the chef. Yes, I know , i tried to make that clever and failed. Yo momma.

"Crank 2" started where "Crank" left off. Chev Chelios (Jason Statham) has just fallen from an airplane. He just spent the last day trying to live with poison in his heart. And of course, he did. After he falls, he is quickly picked up by a group of Chinese men. Some time later, he wakes up in a makeshift hospital room with his chest cracked open and surrounded by surgeons. He watches as his heart is taken out and replaced with what looks like a plastic heart with a battery pack attached to the outside of lower stomach. In order to live, Chev must find his heart and with the help of Doc (Dwight Yoakam) get it put back in, while battling a series of Chinese gangsters and with the help of his oft-confused girlfriend Eve (Amy Smart).

PROS:
The movie is definitely an adrenaline rush. There is constant action throughout the whole movie. One of the things i like most about the movie is that not for one second does it take itself seriously. The film is interrupted by scenes that have nothing to do with the plot. They utilize animation and hallucinogenic images. It's kind of out there, but that can be a positive draw. Also, it has many funny moments, including Ramirez's character trying to stop Vang but then breaking down into a tourettes fit. Hilarious. I also liked the look of the film, it was shot in HD, which gave it a videogame-esque feel to it. Kinda liked that. Lastly, I can't lie, it was pretty awesome to see Corey Haim acting again.

CONS:
Its hard to pinpoint cons because a con to me, may not be a con to you. I was turned off by things that turn most on. The pointless nudity and public sex kinda made me uncomfortable. Now, I am by no means conservative, but there are some things that get to me. This film was just too out there for me. But then again, that is exactly what they wanted it to do, be out of its freakin' mind weird. And of course completely unrealistic, but to each its own.

Recommendation:
Wait til it comes on HBO.

Written By:
Mark Neveldine
Brian Taylor

Directed by:
Mark Neveldine
Brian Taylor

MAIN CAST:
Jason Statham ("Transporter", "Bank Job")
Amy Smart ("Rat Race", "Crank")
Efren Ramirez ("Napoleon Dynamite", "Employee of the Month")
Dwight Yoakam ("Sling Blade", "Wedding Crashers")
Reno Wilson ("The Great White Hype", "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen")
Bai Ling ("Wild Wild West", "Baby's Daddy")
Clifton Collins Jr. ("Traffic", "Sunshine Cleaning")
David Carradine ("TV's Kung Fu", "Kill Bill")
Art Hsu ("Pirates of the Carribean: At World's End")

Similar Titles:
Crank

Next movie to be reviewed:
Next Day Air-Trailer

Movie Review- Dance Flick

Ok, i know its been awhile but theandra is back with a new review!

Now i know the spoof movie genre is dying...hopefully, but this one is a tad different. This time the Wayans family is involved. The Wayans have never been critical darlings nor do they care, but they have always been able to strike a cord with fans. Almost 20 years after the oldest, Kenan Ivory Wayans, made the spoof cult classic "I'm Gonna Git U Sucka", and almost 10 years after "Scary Movie", the movie that sparked this annoying trend was made, they are back. It all started with brothers Keenen, Damon, Shawn, and Marlon and sister Kim. Is now Damon Jr., and nephews Damien Dante and Craig. The Wayans Family: The Next Generation is definitely talented and possess the comic timing of their elders. The unfortunate part is that the genre, not their writing, acting, or movie-making skills may divide even the most loyal Wayans family fans.

The base story behind "Dance Flick" is the exact same as another movie that started a genre, dance movie "Save the Last Dance". Former dancer Megan (Shoshana Bush) moves from her middle class life to live with her father and meets up with dancer Thomas (Damon Wayans Jr.) who teaches her the ways of the streets.

MOVIES SPOOFED:
Save the Last Dance
Hairspray
Fame
High School Musical
Little Miss Sunshine
Twilight
Step Up
You Got Served
Flashdance
ect.

Pros:
As always, the Wayans' know how to make you laugh, one way or another. Some things they do are just flat out funny. Damon Wayans Jr. shows alot of promise and talent in his first major role. He is reminiscent of the early days of his father in "In Living Color" and "Mo Money". If you are a fan of the dance movie genre, especially "Saved the Last Dance", "Dance Flick" definitely hits all the right spots when it comes to making fun of the genre. The scene where Megan is dancing in the club for the first time, and the scene where Thomas is dancing in the rain for relatively no reason at all, are all moments that were waiting to be spoofed. And I don't care how many times i see Charity give birth on the dance floor, it still makes me laugh. All of the Wayans' , except Damon of course, make the funniest cameos. And featured a solidly funny performance from Fayetteville native Affion Crockett.

Cons:
Like all spoof films and Wayans films, there are a lot of hit and miss moments. When the hits happen they can be downright hilarious. But the misses can be detrimental to the scene and scenes to follow. The biggest reason for the misses is that you see most of the jokes coming. I'm gonna leave it up to the individual whether the misses are because of the writing or the genre itself. Some things just can't be avoided, especially when you are using someone else's storylines. The movie never asked you to think, nor does it pretend to, but sometimes in this film you might want to. It doesn't have the intelligence as "I'm Gonna Git U Sucka" or the comedically magical moments of "Don't Be A Menace in South Central While Drinking Your Juice In the Hood" and "Scary Movie", but it doesn't mean it isn't a good watch.

Recommendation:
Rent it.

Written By:
Keenen Ivory Wayans
Shawn Wayans
Marlon Wayans
Damien Dante Wayans
Crag Wayans

Directed By
Damien Dante Wayans

MAIN CAST:
Damon Wayans Jr. ("Blankman", TV's "The Underground")
Shoshana Bush ("Fired Up")
Essence Atkins ("Deliver Us From Eva", "How High")
Affion Crockett ("Epic Movie" "Soul Men")
David Alan Grier ("Blankman", "In the Army Now")
Marlon Wayans ("White Chicks", "G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra")
Keenen Ivory Wayans ("Most Wanted", "A Low Down Dirty Shame")
Shawn Wayans ("White Chicks", "Scary Movie")
Amy Sedaris ("Strangers with Candy", "School of Rock")
Kim Wayans ("I'm Gonna Git U Sucka", "Juwana Mann")
George Gore II ("Juice", "Eddie")

SIMILAR TITLES:
"I'm Gonna Git U Sucka", "Dont Be A Menace...", "Scary Movie"

NEXT MOVE TO BE REVIEWED:
"Crank 2"

Movie Review- State of Play

Well I must admit, I wasn't looking forward to seeing this movie. I am not a huge Russell Crowe fan, though I know he's talented, and I am also not really a fan at all of Ben Affleck. I like thrillers but the trailer didn't make this film look promising. I was glad I was wrong.

Washington Post reporter Cal McAffrey (Russell Crowe) is out to write a story about the killing of a young black man in Washington. He soon finds out that a research assistant for his good friend Congressman Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck) is found dead of an apparent suicide attempt. Its a hot story but he chooses to sit on it because of his friendship, much to the chagrin of his editor Cameron (Hellen Mirren). Even worse, young blogger turned reporter Della (Rachelle McAdams) wants to reveal all of his dirty laundry, especially once it is discovered that Collins was having an affair with the young woman. Once the story is further leaked that the woman was murdered and did not commit suicide, Cal takes it upon himself to investigate the case further to take the heat off of Collins. More is learned of Collins and Cal's friendship when Cal meets up with Collins' wife Anne (Robin Wright Penn). Turns out Collins and Cal have been strained since Cal and Anne slept together. Cal discovers that the young girl's death may have been caused due to Collins' frequent battles with a Military company with deceptive practices. With the help of Della, other reporters and the disaproval of police, led by Det. Donald Bell (Harry J. Lennix), Cal finds himself involved in secrets, lies, and violence that puts everyone involved in danger.

NOTE: Plot explanations for thrillers such as this one are hard to fully flesh out due to the fact that new reveals at every turn that may spoil the plot for those who have not seen the movie.

PROS:
Of course with these group of actors you expect the acting part to be good. And in this case you were right. The makers did a smart thing by making even the supporting cast, such as Harry J. Lennix, Jeff Daniels, Michael Jace, Michael Weston and Jason Bateman, familiar faces who also are very talented. The cast meshed well together and the dialogue had a good mix of smart dialogue and humorous moments. Also, once things were starting to get revealed, the surprises were good and stayed with the plot. They werent erratic and didn't vear from the path of the storyline, though some of them could have had revealed better -some were easy to miss.

CONS:
STOP WHISPERING RUSSELL CROWE, WE CAN'T HEAR YOU! Though it may be his acting style, I had to have my tv's volume hiked up to max to hear him. Secondly, in a few scenes where i honestly feel Russell Crowe may have been tipsy, his accent began to bleed through, much like it did in a few scenes in "American Gangster". In addition, Rachelle McAdams character is a terrible reporter. She was always creeping around conversations and spying. Even into the last scene.

Recommendation:
Rent it.

WRITTEN BY:
Matthew Michael Carnahan
Tony Gilroy
Billy Ray

DIRECTED :
Kevin MacDonald

MAIN CAST:
Russell Crowe ("Gladiator", "American Gangster")
Ben Affleck ("Good Will Hunting", "Armageddon")
Rachel McAdams ("Mean Girls", "The Notebook")
Hellen Mirren ("Gosford Park", "The Queen")
Robin Wright Penn ("Forrest Gump", "Beowulf")
Harry J. Lennix ("The Matrix Reloaded", "Ray")
Jeff Daniels ("The Purple Rose of Cairo", "Speed")
Michael Weston ("Dukes of Hazzard", "Crank:High Voltage")
Jason Bateman ("Juno", "Hancock")
Barry Shabaka Henley ("Life", "Four Brothers")
Viola Davis ("Doubt", "Madea Goes to Jail")
Josh Mostel ("The Chase", "Big Daddy")
Michael Jace ("The Great White Hype", "The Replacements")
Michael Berresse ("Artificail Intelligence:AI")
Steve Park ("Do the Right Thing", "Fargo")

SIMILAR TITLES:
Body of Lies, Zodiac, State of Play (UK mini-series), All the President's Men

NEXT NEW MOVIES TO BE BLOGGED:
Crank:High Voltage-Trailer
Dance Flick-Trailer