Gothika

I wanted to see an old-fashioned scary movie without teenagers (so no 'Scream' or 'I know what you did last summer'-clone). And Gothika delivered.
Sure, the story was not very original (psychiatrist becomes psycho) and the horror effects were quite predictable (be careful! behind you!) but when I left the cinema and went back to my car, I closed the doors careful. And now as I am writing this...i'm looking over my shoulder to see if there is nobody behind me in the corner...so the movie worked!

Ennemi Public n°1 - Mesrine part 2

This second part of the life of Jacques Mesrine is even better than the first part. We finally see that the happy-go-lucky Mesrine is no more than a common criminal, who has delusions of grandeur and is obsessed with power. In the first part you still have some sympathy for him, but all that goes down the drain has he becomes more violent and uncontrollable. A great portrait by Vincent Cassel, who really looks the part.

The story of Jacques Mesrine, France's public enemy No. 1 during the
1970s. After nearly two decades of legendary criminal feats -- from multiple bank robberies and to prison breaks -- Mesrine was gunned down by the French police in Paris.

Max Payne

Boy oh boy what a bad movie. Sorry to be so blunt and straight-forward, but after being tortured for 100 minutes I have a right to be honest. This movie was a total waste of good actors and a great video game. Yes, I love Max Payne, the VG (video game). It was great with the over-the-top violence, the pain and the fear... But this movie has nothing. Yes, there is a lot of violence, but it is boring and fails to impress. And the pain and fear is only inflicted on the audience who dread that the movie will last any second longer. Sorry guys, this one is definitely for the garbage bin.

Coming together to solve a series of murders in New York City are a DEA agent whose family was slain as part of a conspiracy and an assassin out to avenge her sister's death. The duo will be hunted by the police, the mob, and a ruthless corporation.

Quote :

Max Payne: There's an army of bodies under this river, people who ran out of time, out of friends. I could feel the dead down there, reaching up to welcome me as one of their own. It was an easy mistake to make.

Pride and Glory

A movie with Edward Norton is always a treat (even the dreadful Hulk was made acceptable by his presence) and here he delivers a very good portrayel as a cop who is torn between loyalty and justice. Co-starring Colin Farrell, the story develops slowly (and a tad boring in the beginning) but quickly picks up pace and ends in a great finale. No over-the-top shoot-outs here or expensive car chases, but a deeper look into the psyche of those who start out to protect and serve, but in the end want in on a piece of the action.

Excellent performances, good script, tense setting and a fight between good and evil. In my book that is worth 4 stars.

Quote:

Ray Tierney: I've done your kind of loyalty, pop, and it's cost me too much.
Francis Tierney Sr: What did it cost you, Ray?
Ray Tierney: It cost me everything!

A saga centered on a multi-generational family of New York City Police officers. The family's moral codes are tested when Ray Tierney, investigates a case that reveals an incendiary police corruption scandal involving his own brother-in-law. For Ray, the truth is revelatory, a Pandora's Box that threatens to upend not only the Tierney legacy but the entire NYPD.

The Bank Job

The feedback we got about this movie was quite good: "a wonderful heist movie", somebody said. "Unbelievable that this is based on a true story", was another view. And yes, the movie is very entertaining, and very British as well. It feels a bit like Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and the action is fast and thick.

The actors are excellent, the music is swinging and the way London in the 1970's is recreated is quite realistic. Top dialogues and characters you can relate to. What more do you want on a Saturday night?

Quote:

Kevin Swain: So what are these films you're in?
Dave Shilling: Ah, forget about it.
Kevin Swain: Go on.
Dave Shilling: Technically, it's what you call pornography.

In September 1971, thieves tunneled into the vault of a bank in London's Baker Street and looted safe deposit boxes of cash and jewelry worth over three million pounds. None of it was recovered. Nobody was ever arrested. The robbery made headlines for a few days and then disappeared - the result of a 'D' Notice, gagging the press. This film reveals what was hidden for the first time. The story involves murder, corruption and a sex scandal with links to the Royal Family - a story in which the thieves were the most innocent people

Alpha Dog

Alpha Dog was the first movie I ever saw with the Brussels' Movie Monday Group. I started this in Bewelcome, but now it is a weekly event that is also popular in CouchSurfing, Hospitality Club and we even have our own Facebook Group. I liked this movie a lot, and so did the 5 other people who showed up that night. But I guess it is difficult for 'serious' movie critics to like a movie that stars Justin Timberlake.
A pity, because the story is interesting, the actors outstanding (just look at how Sharon Stone evolves throughout the movie), it is based on a real story and it moved me..
Just one word of warning: do not go to this movie if you have a problem with people saying "fuck" all the time, or when you don't like men that look like they walked out of a Calvin Klein ad.

Twilight

Edward Cullen. I will repeat it. Edward Cullen. Do you want me to repeat it? Edward Cullen. Edward is the wet dream of every young schoolgirl, it seems. He gives this average vampire story the necessary hormones and does for Twilight what Cameron Diaz did for The Mask: oozing sex all over the screen. Unfortunately he is not a very gifted actor and the dialogue he has to speak is sometimes bad and frankly often unintentionally funny.

On IMDB they write that the script was finished in 6 weeks, like it was something to be proud of. I'd rather have them spend 3 months on it again to bring it up to standard.

Conclusion: a romantic love-story for the gothic generation with some nice twists but too little action and too much ludicrous dialogue. If you liked stuff like Harry Potter and you are a 14-year-old girl who feels that her body is changing, then this is definitely the movie for you.

Quote from Twilight :

Edward Cullen: And so the lion fell in love with the lamb.
Isabella Swan: What a stupid lamb.
Edward Cullen: What a sick, masochistic lion.

Bella Swan is a clumsy, kind hearted teenager with a knack for getting into trouble. Edward Cullen is an intelligent, good looking vampire who is trying to hide his secret. Against all odds, the two fall in love but will a pack of blood thirsty trackers and the disapproval of their family and friends separate them?