There Will be Blood

Rating : 4/5
A movie that hits you like a fever, There Will Be Blood is not the type of story that gets told very often. A multi-layered portrait of all that comes with a desire for power, There Will Be Blood will leave audiences feeling exhausted and with a bitter taste in their mouths. But a word of caution here, this movie might not be pleasurable for the average joe out there.

The film is anchored by the powerful presence of Daniel Day-Lewis as Daniel Plainview, a silver miner turned oilman. Day-Lewis' performance is a thing of beauty. Critics of Daniel Day-Lewis performance will say that his portrayal is far too theatrical, a criticism also given to his portrayal of Bill the Butcher in Gangs of New York. The reality is that Day-Lewis does not carry this to everyone of his performances. However, he knows when a character is supposed to be showman. Plainview is a salesman and without his swagger he would be nowhere as a businessman. What is truly outstanding is that, unlike lesser actors, Day-Lewis is able to bring out the more human aspects of Plainview that make him a fascinating character to watch.

There Will Be Blood is an achievement in cinematography, acting, writing and film-making unlike anything released in 2007. It is a film that puts its focus on wholly unlikable characters and dares to take you in deeper despite this fact. Like Raging Bull, it is a character study of a man who you would not normally want to know and who you will be unable to forget about after it is all said and done. You may not want to revisit this film anytime soon, but it will be for all the right reasons. It is a powerful and emotionally draining experience.

Black Snake Moan

Rating: 3/5
Combining a sweltering Southern setting, blood and guts blues riffs, and a little unexpected Bible imagery, Brewer has definitely given this film a style of its own and an atmosphere that's as effective as the actors in telling this strange little tale of love and redemption.

Though its aspirations run higher, there's no denying that the film has its moments of exploitation. Ricci's half-nakedness for 75% of the film is testament to that. Those of you with more delicate palates might experience a little discomfort watching this, and understandably so. It's raw. It's ugly. It's dirty. Even Brewer agrees that this isn't exactly for everybody.

Black Snake Moan is the type of film that makes you stop and examine your audience before deciding who to recommend it to. It features very solid acting, a great atmosphere, and a strangely different story. But it also gets a bit sick and twisted at times and has no problems doing so. Take my words to heart and then go with your instinct on this one.

Lions for Lambs

Rating: 2/5
I'm actually quite reluctant to criticize this movie because I basically agree with every sentiment it expresses. I just wish it could express them with more grace, style and subtlety. The movie makes some very valid points about the American political system, patriotism, the so called War on Terror, the lack of engagement of youth and the comatose subordination of the American media. Most of which I agree with. And yet it left me utterly cold and disengaged.

Aside from the political commentary, which it makes no dance around, this a dialog heavy film. Characters are pinned against their situations which cause them to restrain from a course of action both physically and metaphorically. The conversations are engaging, but it would be arguably more favorable to allow the characters interaction. A few additional technical merits could have gone a long way. For example, the CGI of the Chinook helicopter was not up to par; a memorable score and unique cinematography are also absent. The screenplay is inherently foiled by remarkable coincidence; but there was no way around that. At a scant 88 minutes, Lions for Lambs is quick to get to the point but it is over too fast. These miscues keep it from perfection. Served as they are, Lions for Lambs is thinking person's film that makes for rather poor entertainment.

Prestige

Movie review by: Mustafa

Rating : 5/5
A frequently dazzling display of cinematic sleight-of-hand from writer/director Christopher Nolan (Batman Begins), The Prestige is an entertaining, handsomely produced period thriller that mostly holds you in its grip, despite an overly convoluted narrative structure that's ultimately more wearying than satisfying. However, this faithful adaptation of Christopher Priest's 1996, prize-winning novel has so much atmospheric style, wit, and dramatic intrigue that you're more than willing to overlook said flaws and surrender to The Prestige, which depicts a festering grudge between two Victorian-era stage magicians that escalates to deadly heights.

As Cutter (Michael Caine), the ingeneur, i.e., illusion designer, to both magicians explains via voiceover, "The Prestige" refers to the third act, or pay-off, in every magic trick. It follows "The Pledge" (set-up) and "The Turn," the actual performance of the illusion. According to the press notes, Nolan and his brother, co-screenwriter Jonathan Nolan, used the three-part structure of a magic trick as their narrative guide in adapting Priest's densely layered, epistolary novel, which flashes back and forth in time between turn-of-the-century London and faraway Colorado. For the bitter rivalry between elegant master showman Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman) and the unpolished but equally gifted Alfred Borden (Christian Bale) will unfold on both the stages of London's music halls, and in the snowbound Colorado Springs laboratory of scientist Nikola Tesla (David Bowie). The visionary inventor, and despised rival of Thomas Alva Edison, represents Angier's best chance of topping Borden's signature trick: "The Transported Man." Blending radical science and traditional magic, Angier briefly gains an advantage, but Borden refuses to concede defeat, even as their lethal feud eventually ensnares Cutter, Borden's fragile wife (Rebecca Hall), and the gorgeous stage assistant Olivia Wenscombe (Scarlett Johansson).

That said, the movie is still an eminently enjoyable and clever period thriller, graced with charismatic leads (Jackman is particularly impressive), an excellent supporting cast, and bravura film making from Nolan, the cinematic magician of The Prestige.

Things We Lost in the Fire

Rating: 3/5
You can almost be assured of quality acting here in having both Halle Berry and Benicio Del Toro play off each other as an unlikely couple who find strength in each other to overcome a major loss in their lives. To Audrey (Berry), David Duchovny's Brian Burke is the all-encompassing loving husband, who has a knack in raising up their kids, as well as the one who cuddles her to bed each night. But she shares her husband's time, to much of her dislike, with his best friend Jerry Sunborne (Del Toro), a recovering drug junkie who's known him since young, being the only person who cares for Jerry when everyone else shuns him.

It's quite a powerful drama as scenes start to unfold and the tension gets built up, usually with spur of the moments leading to unnecessary hurtful remarks being hurled. What I had enjoyed in the movie are the supporting characters from family and friends that make this movie, set in a close neighbourhood, all the more real.

From grief and despair to a slow plodding towards new hope, Things We Lost in the Fire ignited during a scene around a dinner table in the last act. That scene alone stole the entire show, and brought to light the meaning of the title, as well as one of the most poignant moments in the movie. It is a conventional piece of drama which does get heavy and depressing but it comes with great acting by Halle Berry and especially Benicio Del Toro.

Goya's Ghosts

Rating: 3/5

This is not an autobiographical movie. It doesn't tell about Francisco Goya and his growth as a great painter, nor does it tell us about his private life. This is more about the tragic epoch, a highly volatile era during which he had to live. In fact, Goya himself occupies hardly half of the film's time. But then, the title explains it all – Goya's Ghosts – it is about his characters, the people of Spain that he depicted in his works. Monks, soldiers, laypeople, generals, French, Spanish, and British – they all are before our eyes, with their lives, tragedies and joys. In fact, Lorenzo, an apostate Catholic monk, is a real hero of the film by Milos Forman. His ruthless inquisition methods, his love affairs, his apostasy and turn to Napoleon's regime, his tragic death on the scaffold show us a real life story of a man in the tragic times of the early 19 Century.

Then, there is a beautiful girl, performed by ever impeccable Natalie Portman, whose life and mind are ruined by merciless tortures in the inquisition chambers. She comes back to life as a wretched, ruined, lost soul and searches constantly for her daughter who in fact became a prostitute. She is only happy when she finds lost baby and takes it for her own. The whole long film leaves a heavy heart but a lasting impression. This is a very decent and full-scale work of art.

Bobby

Rating: 4/5

Like in all great ensemble movies, "Bobby" offers a stellar cast, none of whom disappoint. From the neurotic and self-conscious character of Samantha played by Helen Hunt) to the outspoken, confident Edward Robinson (LLaurence Fishburne) , there is a vast mixture of personalities that work to provide a complex interwoven plot line. But the most notable performance (and the most surprising) is that of Virginia Fallon. Brillianty portrayed by Demi Moore, Virginia is a foul-mouthed, insecure alcoholic who sways around on screen in delicate form, both heartbreaking and beautiful to watch.

Director-writer Emilio Estevez put his heart into this project. The direction is without a doubt highly impressive. The subtle colorful hues reflect the emotional grip of each scene, and extenuate a modern feel to the film. He puts us head-first in the crowd that witnessed the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, on what would seem to be one of the most heartbreaking moments in American history.

What I took from this movie is that we should all take the time to really think about who we're putting in power and what they will do with that power. Take the time to vote. Without your vote as your voice, you have no power to give. As RFK said "Few will have the greatness to bend history; but each of us can work to change a small portion of events...Each time a man stands up for an ideal...he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance."