Journey

Last on the line and guess what? It's another from that most hated of Studios, yes the Asylum. It's come to be tradition to review this so called films here... I don't really know why I keep putting myself through these. So lets get into it, here's...

Journey to the Center of the Earth

Journey is about a team, apparently testing a new teleport system becoming trapped in the strange world beneath the Earth's crust and the attempt to rescue them... That's really about it.

Yes shock and surprise, an Asylum flick inspired by Jewels Vern coming out just over a week before the Brendan Fraser film of the same name and well, same everything else. The movie is obviously an attempt to capitalize on those who do not follow the movie industry too well, and will think this film is the one with Fraser. It's pretty much the Asylum's MO and it's the only way these people keep making enough money to stay in business.

I feel for these poor folk, thinking they are in for a movie with some depth and an A-List actor... Because they are in store for the same tripe as every other Asylum flick. Stiff acting, bad CGI, and horrible audio quality where the background noise constantly drowns out the dialog.

Every character is a cliched stock character, out of the four 'soldiers' trapped in the Center are the 'Natural Born Leader', the 'Brainy Smart One', the 'Bitch who Gains a Heart', and of course the 'Coward Newbie'. Each of the actresses seem to be bored through most of the film, completely phoning it in with the clear picture they are in this fim simply to fluff their acting resume.

But maybe I'm being too harsh... No, no I'm not. Because I could deal with bad effects but the acting in this film is what truley kills the movie. It's not a bad plot (mostly because it was Jewels Vern's), people lost in a strange and amazing world, attacked by Dinosaurs, giant spiders, and weird plant monsters... But these girls don't even react to it. They just stare and give an unimpressed glance to everything... This fact actually throws me off when they DO show some actual fear.

And I don't want to be sexist, but I was weirded out by the fact that they sent a team entirely of women to test this teleporter, which was supposed to take them somewhere in Germany, fully armed with automatic weaponry. Are they attacking germany? Or were they carrying weapons in case the Teleport failed and they needed to fight dinosaurs?

Okay now I'm just being mean.

The story is just infuriating, filled with no emotion, bad psudo-science, and a brainy glasses wearing soldier that somehow is an expert in Paleontology, geology, botany, and Entomology. No joke, the girl guesstimates the size of a giant spider by the size of the web strands...

If you see this movie after it releases July 1st, get as far away from it as you can.

Drilling Taylor

Next movie...

Drillbit Taylor

Drillbit Taylor opened at $10,309,986 it's first weekend, and went on to make $32,862,104 nationally and $48,959,326 world wide, pretty respectable.

The film is about three High School freshman, the target of bullying, in attempts to free themselves of the torment of their bully they hire a man, Drillbit Taylor, to be their personal body guard.

When I saw trailers for this film I was worried it would be a lowbrow comedy... But I have to say it's a very good film. Owen Wilson continues to shine in the way of wit and charisma that he has come to be known for. The film retains a high note in it's delivery of laughs, and never sinks to slapstick for a gag.

I recommend it to anybody looking for a good laugh, and of course Owen Wilson fans. Drillbit Taylor releases on DVD July 1st

AdVantage

Second down on the list, lets skip the chit chat and get right to it.

Vantage Point

Vantage point opened strongly doing $22,874,936 on it's first weekend, going on to make $72,266,306 national, and making an impressive $78,468,915 world wide.

Vantage Point takes place in a 23 minute period in which the president of the US is shot during a peace summit in Spain. The film shows the same period of time through six distinctive yet interlocking perspectives...

This movie is quite remarkable... With each new perspective more and more of the story starts to unfold, leaving the audience trying to piece everything together. Its amazingly well done and I must compliment the filmmakers for pulling it off in such a cohesive way. This type of movie could easily turn into a mesh of confusion and lose audiences. But every turn grabs you in this picture.

It has action, suspense, drama, and quite an amazing cast. I suggest everyone pick it up when it releases on July 1st

Super Stupor

It's Monday and that means it's movie day. I may have to rethink my update schedule as it's hard to watch and review up to five movies in one day. I find myself not wanting to watch movies when I get them simply because I fear I won't have anything for Monday, and I dislike sitting on a review. I may go back to a random schedule again. But for now lets move on to the first movie of the day...

Superhero Movie

Superhero Movie opened at $9,510,297 and went on to make $25,837,000 nationally and $57,585,720 world wide. I honestly can say I do not understand how it made that much.

Superhero Movie follows Rick Riker, a boy bitten by a genetically engineered Dragonfly and given super powers, and parodies all the big Superhero films made in the past years...

We have here yet another in the long list of [Genre] Movie Parodies, of course all spawning off of Scary Movie... Actually if you want to get technical they may be all spawned from Shriek if You Know What I Did Last Friday the 13th as it did come first... But thats just splitting hairs.

I really don't understand how [Genre] Movies continue to make money, each one continues it's attempt to be like the Airplane or Naked Gun movies, but never do it... Yet they still keep pumping them out. Already they have another one coming called Disaster Movie, spoofing movies like The Incredible Hulk and Juno, movies released just THIS year.

Superhero Movie, like the rest of these movies is filled with crude humor, sight gags, and all around the lowest base of comedy. It's tolerable though and even managed to geta few chuckles out of me. Most will be put off by the film but those who enjoy the other Parody films will be entertained.

Superhero Movie releases on DVD July 1st.

Certainly could be

Third on the list of four, but will be the last for today. The Bridges will have to wait as I just don't have the time right now. But lets move on to the movie now...

Definitely Maybe

Definitely Maybe opened with $9,764,270 it's first weekend, going on to make $32,013,120 nationally and $53,330,314 world wide.'

The story is that of a divorced man, William Hayes (Reynold), telling his daughter the true story of hos he met her mother, and realizes that by telling the old story, there may be a new beginning.

I am of course, a Ryan Reynolds fan, I like the guy and love to see him in a leading role, and unlike Chaos Theory this movie was not underwhelming. It was very good. A touching romantic comedy that adds a little originality to an old method, by not letting us know right off the bat who the lead will end up with...

It was funny, witty, and in the end touching. All the right ingredients for a flick like this. The acting was wonderful, which is not surprising considering this film has quite a surprising amount of A-List stars.

Men don't be afraid to watch this flick if your girlfriend suggests it, hell, I say get it even if she doesn't want to see it, it's a great film and thats all there is to it. Definitely -Maybe releases on DVD Tuesday June 24th

Doctor is in

Keep on moving with these one after the other, here we come with number two on the list...

Charlie Bartlett

Charlie Bartlett opened with $1,836,256 it's first weekend, going on to make $3,950,984 national and $4,723,357, completely failing to make back it's 12 million dollar budget. In my mind this is a complete shame.

Charlie Bartlet is about a boy, Charlie, privileged and upper class, but unable to keep himself from being thrown out of every Private School. He eventually must go to public school... He simply wants to be liked by everyone, and soon starts delivering psychological advice and medication to the student body...This quickly makes him the most popular kid in school... But he must learn what is the right thing to do with this responsibility.

This movie is quite honestly brilliant. It is one of the most clever and downright funny comedies I have seen in quite some time. It's a movie that shows the problems of fitting in in school and taking responsibility of your own life as oppose to simply following.

I must say that Anton Yelchin (Charlie Bartlett) is immensely entertaining to watch, especially playing off a great like Robert Downey Jr.

It's a great movie and it's a shame that it was not received better in theaters. I suggest it to anyone looking for a great intelligent comedy. Charlie Bartlett releases on DVD Tuesday June 24th.

Future

So here we are on Monday, update day... I'm gonna try my hardest to get all these movies reviewed today... But I might not be able to review the Bridges. But for now, first up on the list is...

Futurama
The Beast with a Billion Backs!

The Beast with a Billion Backs is the second in the line up of four scheduled Futurama straight to DVD films, the first of course being Bender's Big Score. As it's direct to DVD and not available at the time of writing there are no numbers to be listed.

The Beast with a Billion Back takes place a month after the previous film in a rare case of direct continuity from an animated TV show of this nature, leaving a large tear in the fabric of the universe... What lays beyond the tear is a planet sized tentacle monster, with it's eye set upon out universe!

It's always odd seeing an animated TV show get a feature length, since you're so used to everything wrapping up in thirty minutes, getting two hours of material is very different. But this is a great film for Futurama fans, more of the same laughs, jokes, and unexpected sci-fi jokes.

Definitely see it is you were a fan of the series, if you weren't I'd suggest at least a single viewing. It has a lot of laughs, and a lot of rather amazing animation from a direct to DVD film. The Beast with a Billion Backs releases Tuesday June 24th.

Rewinding

So heres number two for the day and what I will consider my Monday update (unless I do one later today.) I figured it would be better to do the review now as opposed to tomorrow, where I'll probably be too tired to bother, so here is...

Be King Rewind

Be Kind Rewind opened in 808 theaters it's opening weekend and 810 total... It brought in $4,050,655 the first weekend, topping out at $11,175,164 national and $17,040,551 world wide.

The movie is about two men, Mike (Def) who works in a small self owned rental store and Jerry (Black) his best friend. When Jerry is magnetized while trying to sabotage the electrical power plant next to his home and erases the tape, the two must recreate the films themselves...

This movie is pretty decent, which is a shame really. When I first heard about this film it looked more than just decent, it looked great. It looked like a film filmed with pop culture and movie industry... But most of the recreation scenes go by so fast, theres nothing but a sight gag to take from it.

But all in all the movie is very good, Mos and Jack play well off each other with Black's usual outlandish personality contrasting well with Def's calm and quiet attitude.

It's a competent comedy with more than a few laughs and a very good cast, just don't expect anything spectacular when you pick it up. Suggested to fans of Jack Black and Mos Def, and anyone looking for a decent comedy. Be Kind Rewind releases June 17th...

Theories

A bit later than I thought I would be when getting around to this bit better late than never. Expect a review of Be Kind Rewind either late tonight, or mid day Monday. For now I'm reviewing...

Chaos Theory

Chaos Theory did $240,476 in theaters, which may seem like a very small number, but it had a release of about 11 theaters in the US, and no world wide release.

The story follows the life of Frank Allen (Reynolds) a man who's life is set by schedule, that is until one day a small change throws his entire life through a loop. Now foregoing his meticulously planned life he throws every choice to random chance, and embraces Chaos.

I was expecting more of this film, quite honestly. When I saw the trailers I was actually excited, as I'm a huge Ryan Reynolds fan and love to see him in leads. His performance is great, but the story around it seems lacking. I found myself becoming distracted easily from the film, having to rewind to catch parts I had missed.

The movie is not bad though, it's a decent dark comedy, and releases June 17th. I suggest it to hardcore Reynolds fans.

Trick or Treat

I'm actually working on Monday, so there might be two updates tomorrow, or one update tomorrow and one mid day Monday. But for now, bit of a random movie, bit of an older one too... But I felt like reviewing it.

Halloween

Halloween opened strong with $26,362,367 made it's opening weekend, it went on to make $58,272,029 national and $78,301,528 world wide. Considering the film only costed 15 million to make, it's actually pretty impressive.

The movie is the retelling of John Carpenter's classic slasher film of the same name. It follows the life of Micheal Myers, a disturbed young boy who kills his older sister on Halloween night... He spends fifteen years in a mental hospital before breaking out to search for his baby sister.

I remember when I saw House of a Thousand Corpses, the credits rolled, and I was beside myself. I paused for a moment, rolling the film around in my head for a bit before coming to the conclusion that Rob Zombie should never be allowed to make Movies. I said the same about Devil's rejects... To me Zombie's films seemed to be filled with graphic and disturbing imagery without real reason... I've seen attempts at adding some form of meaning to the relentless gore... But it always seems drowned out, muddled...

It actually comes to a shock to me how tame Halloween is. I went in expecting horrific imagery, disturbing deaths, and shocking murders. What is in the movie is no more than what one would expect to find in a slasher film... A few stabs here and there, and mostly off screen.

I feel like I'm being unfair, so let me get back on track. This movie is a 'reimaging' of Micheal Myer's story, those expecting a simple remake should steer clear, as the first forty minutes of the film deal with Myers' past and time in the Mental institution, and unfortunately, it's the only decent part of the film.

The new material really does catch you, draws you into the story of what Micheal is, and what he becomes, sadly shortly after he escapes and the movie moves from original material to remake it falls apart, becoming bland and boring. The killings are nothing spectacular, the constant screams were irritating, and the attempts to strike fear or worry for the characters failed, since we spent so little time with them compared to Micheal.

All the characters feel one dimensional except for Dr. Loomis (Malcolm McDowell). Everyone else feels ripped out of a stereotype ranging from ditzy teen to scumbag redneck.

The film is not bad though, don't get me wrong, it's just not good. There are many many better slasher flicks available, like the original Halloween... I suggest this really only to people who have nothing better to watch, and then only if it's on TV.

Incredible

Ah now this was a movie I have been wanting to see for ages, and yet it never even crossed my mind to review it... I just came back from the Midnight Showing so it's still fresh off the reels! It is none other than...

The Incredible
HULK

As it literally released but a few hours ago at the time of writing this there are no numbers, be sure to check back Monday for them.
EDIT: Numbers in and The Incredible Hulk smashed the Box Office with $55,414,050 it's first weekend

The Incredible Hulk is about Bruce Banner, who five years previous to the movie had an accident while preforming an experiment on himself... Now whenever he is under stress or angry he becomes incredibly strong and dangerous monster... Bruce finds himself ever searching for a cure while evading the US Government, who want to use it as a weapon.

The last time we saw our giant green friend was in the 2003 attempt to adapt the comic to the big screen. Ang Lee's vision of the Hulk was not very well accepted by the fans, comments that the story was slow moving and that the action, while great, was lacking in consistency compared to the rest of the story. There was also some issues with how the Hulk looked, some saying that the CG completely took them out of the film.

I always defended the film, accepting that it had faults, but was enjoyable. I felt the story captured why the Hulk comic book is so enjoyable, not the green monster smashing up tanks, but the modern telling of the classic story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. In the end all I could do was accept my Hulk movie with it's flaws.

Then I saw The Incredible Hulk...

I simply cannot express how enjoyable this movie was. Edward Norton, co-screen writer and star as Bruce Banner is simply an amazing man, he was able to produce a story that kept the struggle of a man with a monster hidden within him, but also deliver some amazing action sequences. The story stays consistent from beginning to end and does not lag or slow down at all. It incorporates themes from both the comic and 70's television show flawlessly, and even sets up for a possible sequel with yet another of the Hulks great Arch Villains.

It truly makes me happy to see how well Marvel Studios is doing, finally enabling crossover material previously impossible do to licensing issues. Keep your eye open for Stark Industry and S.H.I.E.L.D logos, and once again an ending leading up to a very specific movie penned for release (at the time of writing) in 2011.

If your a Hulk fan go see it, you will not be disappointed, if you aren't, it's a great summer action flick and I still suggest seeing it while in theaters.

Lists

Oddly enough I actually worked today, it threw me off in my update, but here I am. I have a few movies I may review throughout the week, but work is draining me so no promises. For now though?

The Bucket List

The Bucket List opened it's first weekend with $19,392,416 and went on to make $93,466,502 nationally and $172,466,502 world wide.

The story is about two men, Carter Chambers (Freeman) and Edward Cole (Nicholson) both find out they have but months to live, distraught they go out together with plans of completeing their Bucket List, a list of things to do before they die.

Theres not a lot to say about this movie, it is in a word, fantastic. Nicholson and Freeman, two of the best actors alive, give this movie a feeling of truth and heart. It's amazing to see two men of such high caliber work together.

The only thing I can say against it is the fact that these two men are getting older... It's sad to see great actors become older,it means that they may eventually stop acting, and soon may not be around at all.

Go see the movie, it's great, and carries an interesting message of accomplishing goals in your life before it's too late. The Bucket List comes out on DVD on June 10th.

Eye Strain

Second movie of the day! And yet another not yet released flick. Its the movie I hinted at last week but never got a chance to sit down and watch, it is...

The Eye

The eye opened at $12,425,776 which may sound small, but actually covered the entire budget of the film. It went on to make $31,418,697 national and $54,417,244 world wide.

The Eye is about Sydney Wells (Alba) a woman blind since the age of five, who finally has a successful cornea transplant and is able to see... But she begins to have strange horrifying visions of ghosts and death... As these visions haunt her she must try and find out whats real and whats not.

This film is yet another American remake of a Japanese horror film in the same vein as The Ring and The Grudge, cause apparently America has forgotten how to be scary...

But that is the thing with this movie...It's not scary. It felt like every shocking scene, of which there was only a handful, came and went so quick you really didn't get a chance to absorb what happened. The entire movie runs like this even to the end, flash of something then a long stretch of nothing.

The movie seems to follow the same thing thats wrong, to me anyway, with the Ring. There is no real danger... Throughout the movie we see these visions of ghosts and 'death shadows'... but we never see Alba's character get downright attacked in the film, the ghosts will jump at her, and she will be grabbed in a vision, but nothing actually happens.

No danger or risk till the very end, this seems to want to be a psychological thriller trapped in a Horror movie's body. It drags on for a while before actually moving the story along, I really can't suggest it to many. It releases June 3rd.

Jump

Okay so I've decided, since it seems to be difficult for me to update on a random schedule that I need a specific day to update. I didn't want to give myself something set it stone, because god forbid I don't have anything for that day...But none the less, I have decided to do Monday updated, with sporadic updates throughout the week whenever I get around to it. Today I will be doing two updates, as today there is no time limitation on watching them. First up?

JUMPER

Jumper opened at number one bringing in $27,354,808 it's opening weekend and stayed at number one for two weeks despite negative reviews. It ended up pulling in $79,840,473 domestic and $220,789,758 world wide.

Jumper is about David Rice, a man who at a young age discovered he had the ability to teleport anywhere he wanted, with this ability he makes a life of complete freedom for himself. But when an organization known as the Paladins, people who kill 'Jumpers', comes after him, he must fight back.

Jumper was another movie panned by general critics, yet despite it seems to be enjoyed bu audiences, and this movie truly is enjoyable. The story is pretty basic on the surface, but has a certain complexity to it, room to grow into sequels, of which there are two planned... But the real selling point is the action, the visuals, and the physics.

The scenes where Hayden's character is shown teleporting across the globe are just draw dropping. The entire sequence makes me smile, and instantly gives a matter of fact feel to the teleporting, as if this were just a normal day. It reminds me of the opening sequence to I Am Legend where Will Smith traverses the empty New York City, the two scenes made me say "If the movie was two hours of just this, I'd still watch it."

But of course thats not all it, the fight scenes, ah, the fight scenes. There is really nothing that can compare to what they do with the physics and visuals of these port fights. Each fight is unique, with something different, fact paced and involving, and just plain fun.

And Physics geeks also will not be disappointed as the movie follows amazingly well the 'rules' that would go along with the theoretical physics of teleportation. Teleporting causes a vaccume when leaving and a sudden burst of air and concussion on arrival...

The movie is just fun and is all that should be expected when watching. I highly suggest it to Physic Geeks and anyone looking for a really entertaining fast paced action flick. Jumpers releases June 10th... And I highly anticipate it's sequel.

First Rambo

So this is the second down, expect a review of The Eye either tonight or tomorrow...

RAMBO

Rambo did pretty decently in the Box Office,. It had an opening weekend of $18,203,876, not phenomenal but decent enough... It made $42,754,105 here in the states and topped at $103,893,083 world wide. It's kinda weird that it made more money out of the States than in.

John Rambo, now living in Thailand, is approached by a group of missionaries looking to aide the people of Burma, devastated by the local power Than Shwe. After dropping them off, the village is soon attacked and the missionaries are taken captive. Now John Rambo and a group of Mercenaries must go in and save them.

I must make a confession that I've never actually seen a Rambo movie (more accurately a First Blood movie). Oh I've seen bits and pieces of each film but never all the way through. I never dug the Action Hero movie where a man can walk into the line of fire of fifty men and come out unscathed. It's the reason I've always been a bigger Die Hard fan, as John McClane gets thrashed in each film.

I went into this film expecting a glossy action flick, and when the credits rolled I let out a half hearted 'meh.' The film just didn't hold together for me. The plot was lame, but I expected that... The enemy soldiers were all cruel and sadistic bastards to the point of making Hitler look like an okay guy... But I do understand that there are sick deranged people who do rule over impoverished people...

Maybe the thing that really killed the film for me was that there were only three or four actual action sequences IN the movie, and this includes the explosive finale. I went into this movie EXPECTING the plot to be dull, the enemies to be worse than Nazis, but also with the expectation of a big action sequence or explosion evert five to ten minutes, but it didn't turn out that way.

I don't know, maybe seeing all the other films would have made me enjoy this more. In fact thats the only real people I can suggest this to, people who have seen all the other films, IE fans. If you're uninitiated into the ways of John Rambo you're not going to be drawn in by this one, thats for sure. Rambo releases tomorrow, thats May 27th 2008.

Flawless Victory

Okay so this is how it goes, it's a movie day. I'm gonna try my best to bang out at LEAST three movie reviews today while attempting to watch all the movies I need to before I have to bring them back. In fact, as I write this review I am watching Rambo... Though I must say it does not look like I'll be able to watch Street Racer, the Asylum Speed Racer rip off. But for NOW I bring you...

FLAWLESS

The box office for Flawless is a bit skewed since it only had a limited release in the states, meaning not all theaters played it, and theaters that did probably didn't play it for very long. Even still it took home $1,067,665 domestic, and was able to bring in $4,811,166 world wide.

The movie is a crime drama taking place in the 1960s, focusing on Mr. Gibbs (Caine) a Janitor for the London Diamond Corporation, and Laura Quinn (Moore) an executive stifled for years from a proper promotion because she is a woman. Gibbs comes to Laura with a proposition, to steal diamonds from their work. Though when Mr. Gibbs steals more than he said he would Laura finds herself in over her head.

This movie is, in a word, calm. It has no action, no tense moments that makes you hold your breath, and no ticking clock with a red and blue wire... Even the robbery itself is rather tame... What it does have is a terrific story, and a wonderful cast. Each scene is involving and interesting as it builds on the story...

This movie comes out on DVD on June 3rd and is for those who want to relax and simply enjoy a very well told story. If you're expecting Ocean's 11, or something similar with action or suspense, please just keep on moving.

Whip Crack

I must again apologize for the fact that I haven't been updating, it's just been a rough couple weeks and I haven't been able to motivate myself to sit down and write. But thats no excuse... I saw this movie last night, midnight show of course, but I was too tired to review it when I got home, and then ended up sitting on it all day. The movie is, of course...

Indiana Jones
and the
Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls

Of course the movie doesn't have a box office yet, I fear that it will be much lower than this movie deserves, I will update on Monday, I can give you my word on this. EDIT Whoops! Almost forgot to update the box office. Indy 4 opened at an amazing $100,137,835 and has gone on to make $298,347,101 worldwide already, and it's only been a week!

The movie is about, of course, Indiana Jones and his latest adventure. Taking place in 1957 it is about ten years since the last film, leaving Indy a much older man. He is captured by Commie Russians to aide in the search for the hidden kingdom of gold, which legend tells if a stolen crystal skull is returned, will give great power to the person who brought the skull.

The movie is, in my opinion, really great. I loved it from start to finish, the interaction between Harrison and Shia made me laugh so many times, and the aging adventurer, archaeologists, and part time college professor Jones still kicks as much ass as he does in previous films.

But, moving past that, I know this movie will not be well received. I was discussing this with a friend, and he put it very well... "Which is better: Magical Religious Artifacts, or Magical Alien Artifcats?" He followed by saying some people cannot take both. I know it will turn off some casual fans, and downright enrage Indy fans to see so much reference to Alien beings... But when I saw it, I saw what was really going on...

Indiana Jones was based off of the old Action Comic Serials from the 1940s, where gung ho adventurers would traverse the jungles with nothing more than a machete, a side arm, and a rope. Where these treasure seekers could lay out a man with one well placed sock in the jaw, and often saved a new damsel in distress with each new adventure.

This is the core of what Indy was, these serials. But when the 1950s came about, Serials were about Men from Mars, alien beings from distant worlds and dimensions. The serials took a new aspect of sci-fi and government conspiracies. I found it amazingly entertaining to see Indy follow suit as he moved from the brazen adventures of the 40s to the sci-fi terrors of the 1950s.

This is a movie that will probably split the fan-base in two, those who love and hate it... And it's a shame, because it really was a great film.

A side note, I will be updating more often hell or high water, I have a stack of new movies to review including Rambo, The Eyes, and yet another Asylum flick, plus maybe a Movie Industry Rant if I can get my thoughts down straight.

X Marks the Spot... Again

I have to apologize for the lack of updates, I had a sudden case of real life and was unable to watch any movies in the past week. But I have today, and it's one I've wanted to do since I got it on Tuesday. It feels right doing this as what my first review was... So I bring you...

National Treasure 2:

Book of secrets

National Treasure opened at number one in theaters and made $44,783,772 it's first weekend, going on to make $219,548,127 national and a total of $456,878,994 world wide.

In this installment of National Treasure, Benjamin Gates is brought evidence that his great grandfather was the mastermind behind the Lincoln assassination, refusing to believe it he goes off to search for the truth, finding yet another string of clues in history, and another forgotten treasure.

Not much I can truly say about this movie. It follows the same formula as the first, Ben and his gang follow clues tied into historical landmarks and buildings, attempting to stay under the radar of the authorities and out of the cross-hair's of rival treasure hunters. Thats not to say that is bad, the movie is once again a very good popcorn flick.

If you enjoyed the first one, you'll enjoy this one, if you didn't enjoy the first you'll probably pass over this movie without a second thought anyway. Though I am glad to hear that there is works for a third installment. I've always been a bit of a fan of Nicholas Cage, and he plays this role of a man too smart for his own good very well.

If you're a fan of action films with a hint of mystery, and a well contained story, go ahead and pick up National Treasure 2 when it's released on May 20th.

Untraceable

So as promised, the review I planned yesterday, I'm still plan on seeing and reviewing Forbidden Kingdom today, but I cannot make any promises as I'm not sure as to when or if I will be able to get to the movie theater today... But enough of that, lets move onto...

UNTRACEABLE

Untraceable did a bit poorly in theaters. It only made $11.3 million it's opening weekend and 28.6 million total in America, well below it's $35 million dollar budget. Although it did make $48.5 million world wide. Unfortunately, most studios consider only the opening weekend of a movie for it's success.

This is another movie that was panned by critics. It was considered hypocritical in it's message against shock sites with it's blatant display of 'torture porn'. I don't agree with these opinions. The movie is at it's core a Thriller with some aspects of Horror, this means that there will be scenes that are both shocking and horrifying.

The movie is about Jennifer Marsh, an agent in the FBI's Cybercrime department. It's her job to catch internet criminals the likes of identity theft and internet pedophiles. She soon gets a tip of a website, KillWithMe.com, a site where a person is killed live via streaming web cam. The more people who watch, the faster the person dies. Jennifer must now try and find and stop the murderer before the internet masses kill any more people.

The movie seems to hone in on the internet community, anyone who has been to certain seedier sites knows that shock videos and disturbing images come in by the bucket load and that there are those who frequent these sites that not only watch, but enjoy it. One of the more enjoyable things of this movie is pausing it and reading the 'comments' of the murder site.

But don't go into this movie expecting something big or long lasting, it is a competent Thriller and nothing more. It has some truly gruesome death scenes for the gore fans... But there is very little more to it than that. Not that thats a bad thing...

I suggest this movie to anyone who's interested in the internet, it's spanning communities and technology, as well as fans of thrillers and gore fests. It's not as deep as Silence of the Lambs, nor as brutal as Hostel, but it finds a nice balance in between.

Go Speed Racer Go!

Sorry for the lack of updated lately, my personal schedule kind of worked against me the pact couple days. I had actually planned on reviewing Untraceable today, but was unable to finish it. I wasn't able to finish it because of the movie I'm reviewing today... So expect Untraceable tomorrow as well as, if plans go right, a Forbidden Kingdom review. But for now...

SPEED RACER

As speed racer just released today, I of course have no numbers for it. That will be updated Monday when the Box Office numbers come in as per usual. EDIT: Apologies for the lateness in getting to this. Speed racer had an opening weekend of $18,561,337, this is unfortunately low, but was predictable.

The movie is of course, if you didn't know, an adaptation of the 1960's Anime, which was one of the first Animes to come to America. It's about Speed Racer, a young man who is a natural at racing. When he hits it big he is pulled into realizing the corruption in the sport that has been his whole life. He decides to fight against it the only way he knows how, by winning...

It seems that Speed Racer was thoroughly thrashed by most Critics out there, and I can not understand why. The only reason I can think of is that most critics don't know the source material, that being the anime. The way the film portrays some of the campy almost tongue in cheek humor from the original show, while still maintaining an involving and well told story is just masterful.

The movie is also visually stunning. Every scene is just beautiful and vibrant, the world this movie creates just feels like a real world anime, and keeps amazing throughout as we see new and mind blowing effects and scenery throughout.

The only problem I can see is the uninitiated. This movie does tailor to fans and kids, and perhaps those who have never heard or seen Speed Racer might take the story and portrayal of the world as a bit kiddy and hard to swallow...

I suggest this to anyone who enjoys Speed Racer, the adaptation revolutionizes and modernizes the world, while still remaining amazingly true to the source material. It's also a great film for families, or people just looking for an amazing spectacle of visualization and action.