Mud Movie Review

Hey everyone! Hope things are going well for you today. I just saw the film Mud so I thought that I would share my thoughts on the movie. Mud was directed and written by Jeff Nichols who I think did a wonderful job, representing his own great take on a coming of age story.

As for the plot, it revolves around two young actors who play a couple of typical curious 13 year old friends who live out in Mississippi. These kids discover an island down a river close to their home where they find a boat that is lodged on top of a tree, most likely due to a flood from years ago. Soon they find out that the place they hoped to turn into there own fort was actually where a man was temporarily living. This character is played by Matthew McConaughey and his role in the film is a convict of sorts who is on the run from the law and specifically a group of bounty hunters looking for “revenge”, but I won't spoil why. Soon into the movie these kids find out more and realize that he is a good guy and is only in trouble due to moral reasons for acting out in a illegal manner, all for the women he loves played by Reese Witherspoon. As the movie progresses, an unlikely yet special bond forms between these characters, as the two young teens decide to help this fugitive escape those who are after him, in hopes to reunite him with the love of his life.

I found that the performances were great by all the main actors in this film, especially the two young teenagers played by Tye Sheridan and Jacob Lofland. 

Overall, I definitely thought this was a good coming of age movie, that really dives into the power of friendship and love, and how relatable and shared those feelings can be across all ages. So check this film out if you have not seen it yet. You will not be disappointed!

My Top 5 Movies of 2010

          I can't believe that 2010 is already over. Over my time as a movie review blogger, I was amazed by all the good movies that I was able to see. There were many great classic's, as well as new pictures that were just as good. I was most amazed by the large variety of great movies that came out this past year in 2010. It was my pleasure to be able to blog about them for all my readers, and I look forward to being able to continue my blog throughout 2011 as well. Most importantly, I hope I have been helpful on making your movie-goer experience better. As always, thanks for reading! Hope you guys enjoy my top 5 favorite movies of 2010.


Number 5:

Toy Story 3
This movie had to be on my top 5 list just for the sole reason of it being the final movie of the Toy Story series, which are some of the best animated movies of all-time. It was a great way to finish the series, truly touching my heart. The only bad thing about Toy Story 3 was that it was the last one.


Number 4:

The Fighter
This was an outstanding movie! It is still in theaters so I recommend that you all go see it if you have the chance to. Although it is considered to be a boxing movie,  it is more about the struggling factors between a small time boxer and his family. Take my word for it, you won't be disappointed by this one.


Number 3:

The Town
Ben Affleck has turned out to be a great director, and this was most precent in his recent movie "The Town", in which he also starred in. It takes place in Charleston, which is known to have the largest number of bank robberies out of anywhere else in the world, which is most evident in this film. It is a great drama that at the same time has the occasional humor. I am sure that the majority of you ca  understand why this one made my top 5 movies list.


Number 2:

Inception
For most of you, I am sure that "Inception" would be your number 1 movie of the year. I think that this may be the best Christopher Nolan film made to date, which is saying a lot because he rarely ever makes a bad film. It was truly a peace of art. It has a great storyline, along with superb acting that can't be beat. "Inception" is one of those movies that you really have to analyze when watching, making it crucial for you to pay constant attention to what is going on in the various scenes throughout the movie. It was really well-done, and deserves to be recognized for it. I am sure that it will do well at the Oscars.




Number 1:

True Grit
Finally another great Western movie. It is sad how rarely Western movies are released today. Hopefully "True Grit" will help to bring these classics back. It stars good old Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon, as well as a new young female actress by the name of Hailee Steinfeld. "True Grit" is mainly about a young girl who sets out on a mission to find her fathers murderer and bring him to justice. I would not be suprised if several academy awards were given to this film. My bets are put on "True Grit" for Best Picture. Definitely check this one out! You will not regret it!


          I'm sure I'm missing some big films but these ones are based just on my opinion. I have to give credit to a couple of other movies such as "The Kings Speech", "The Social Network", "Black Swan", and "Exit Through the Gift Shop". Please feel free to comment on your own top 5 movies of 2010. I would absolutely love to hear what you guys think. Lets hope for another great year of movies this 2011. Thanks again!

My Top 5 Worst Movies of 2010

Seeing as though I will be blogging about my top 5 best Movies of 2010, I thought it would make sense to do my top 5 worst movies of 2010, just for kicks. By the way, I really do not recommend for any of you to watch these movies; it is not worth your time. Hope you all enjoy! 

Number 5:

Dinner For Schmucks – Lets put it this way, the name says it all. I know that a lot of people found this movie to be very funny, but I still have to look at it purely as a movie critic. It was simply not good.

Number 4:

The Good Guy – This is about a young girl who moves to New York to live the city life, find out who she is, and eventually meet "the good guy" of her dreams.  It bored me to death due to it's cliche storyline and predictable "surprises".

Number 3:

MacGruber – Many people seemed to actually quite enjoy this movie, but I for one felt it to be just too stupid. It is not reliable to base a whole movie on a Saturday Night Live skit (unless you are talking about "Night at the Roxbury" or "Wayne's World"). Five minutes is alright, but not an hour and a half!

Number 2:

Valentine’s Day – This movie actually had a very impressive cast, however, it seemed to only rely on that one aspect. It was a terrible, forced-out movie that turned out to be neither funny nor romantic.

Number 1:

Tooth Fairy – Just look at the movie poster... really? I know it's a kids movie, meant for kids, but I still have to say that it was nothing but absolutely awful. I had to watch this movie with my little cousins, and it was so bad that they didn't even like it. Whatever happened to the good old Dwayne Johnson roles? He went from the ultimate badass to a Tooth Fairy. Come on man, I know that the economy can be rough for everyone, but still have some self-pride!

Well there you guys go. Feel free to give me your top 5 worst movies of 2010. I'm sure that I must be missing at least some of them. Thanks for reading! 

The Fighter

"The Fighter" was another great movie that I previously saw over winter break. It was directed by David O. Russell. I am very pleased to say that it was a great movie. In fact, I have a feeling that it will be Oscar worthy, but I still have my fingers crossed for "True Grit". But at the very least, it was very well-done, with a great true story, along with astonishing acting. Mark Wahlberg did a great job playing the character of Micky Ward, a minor league boxer hoping to find his glory in the sport. I was most amazed by Christian Bale's amazing performance as Dicky Eklund, an ex-boxer who is Micky's brother. At the end of the movie, during the credits, it shows actual footage of an interview of the real Dicky Eklund and Micky Ward, which was absolutely astonishing to see how dead on Bale did on his role of Dicky getting down all of his mannerism, language, personality, and body language to the tee. In bale's role, he is also one of Micky's main coaches who tries to do everything he can to help his brother to become an even better boxer than he was, while at the same time having to struggle to do so because of his cocaine addiction and susceptibility towards getting into trouble. While all this is going on, Micky struggles to live his dream as a successful boxer due to the influence of not only his brother, but also his family. However, you will see many of Dicky's conflicts resolved, helping him to help his brother live the dream that he was never able to. It is a wonderful movie, which I would highly recommend to anyone who seems intrigued by it.

"The Fighter" begins in the setting of Lowell, Massachusetts where Micky was raised under the shadows of his older half-brother Dicky. Micky now lives on his own, however, the rest of his large family, including Dicky, all live together still with their parents. Micky always tried to follow his brother footsteps in becoming a professional boxer. When he was younger, he got to see Dicky beat the illustriously skilled boxer Sugar Ray Leonard which motivated Micky even more. However, soon after that fight, Dicky resulted to becoming a cocaine addict ruining his career and eventually putting him into prison. While all this was going on Micky found a girlfriend that helped him in his boxing career showing him how his family has been nothing but a bad influence on his future. This leads many fights between Micky and his family that will eventually be fixed when Dicky is released for jail. Dicky will come to find that jail was the best thing that could have ever happened to him, allowing him to figure out his life and break his terrible addiction. He and his brother will come to terms, allowing Dicky to be his coach once again, find his redemption, and help Micky live the dream that he was never able to fully accomplish. This is really an astonishing piece which by no means should not be left out on your list of movies to see. Here is a preview to watch: "The Fighter". Thanks for reading! Hope everybody enjoys it!

True Grit

I was truly amazed by how good this movie was. "True Grit" is now one of my all-time favorite movies. It is an American western that is based on Charles Portis' 1968 novel. It takes place in 1877 in Fort Smith, Arkansas.  The movies screenplay was written and directed by the Cohen Brothers. The movie is also a remake of the original "True Grit" starring the one and only John Wayne. At first I wondered if Jeff Bridges would be able to fill the shoes of John Wayne's role, and it turns out that he was more than capable. In his role, he played a U.S Marshal named Reuben J. "Rooster" Cogburn, who is known for being a very tough, merciless, and rough around the edges cowboy. Another main character in the movie is Mattie Ross who is played by Hailee Steinfeld. She is a new star in the film industry who plays a very smart, stubborn minded 14-year old girl whose father was recently murdered. I was amazed by how well she was able to play her role and I am sure that we will all be seeing much more of her in future films. Josh Brolin plays the character named Tom Chaney who murdered Mattie's father and is now on the run. Matt Damon is also in the the film playing a proud-to-be Texas Ranger named La Boeuf. All of these characters are introduced to each other in the movie leading to quite a journey. It is a great movie and I would recommend it to anyone as a must see.


The movie begins with the narration of the adult Mattie Ross (played by Elizabeth Marvel) who recounts on her past story of her fathers murder. This happened when she was only 14-year old leading her to become strongly motivated to hunt down the man who killed him and get her fathers justice. In one scene, she is confronted by Texas Ranger La Boeuf who had been hired by another family to arrest Chaney for a previous murder. I doing so, he wanted to team-up with her to double their chances. Mattie denied his offer because La Boeuf would take Chaney back to be hanged for his prior murder rather than her fathers, defeating her purpose. Mattie eventually convinces U.S. Marshal "Rooster" Cogburn to help her hunt him down for $100. Promising to meet her in the morning to embark on their journey, Mattie finds a note that he left telling her to go home and let him do his job and pursue Chaney on his own. Extremely determined, Mattie catches up to Cogburn on her horse, impressively crossing a flowing river in the process. To her surprise she finds that Cogburn has teamed up with Texas Ranger La Boeuf. Mattie threatens Cogburn, accusing him of fraud for breaking their agreement. Reluctantly, Cogburn is forced to bring her along on their pursuit to find Chaney. I won't ruin anymore of the movie for you, but that is the basic plot. Here is a preview to help you decide: "True Grit". Thanks for reading! I really hope you guys decide to see this one, you will not regret it.

It's a Wonderful Life

I am sure that most of you are aware of the movie "It's a Wonderful Life". It is one of the most iconic Christmas films since the beginning of the movie industry. It is truly a heartwarming and forever cherished film that will never be forgotten. No matter who you are or what type of movies you like to view, you can never go wrong with "It's a Wonderful Life". This movie stars the actor James Stewart who plays the character George Bailey. It also stars Lionel Barrymore who plays the notorious character named Mr. Potter. "It's a Wonderful Life" is a classic black and white filmed Christmas story made in 1946. It was directed by  Frank Capra who based the story on a book written by Philip Van Doren Stern which is called "The Greatest Gift". This movie has helped me and many others learn the true meaning of Christmas. We all need to be thankful for everything that we have in our lives, and most importantly the people we get to share it with. I have came to realize how fortunate I am to also have a wonderful life. Sometimes you just have to understand that we all have a purpose in this world, no matter what that may be. It seems that the world would just not be the same without the existence of anyone of us; we all have an impact.

George Bailey is a well-known modest owner of a private building and loan company (bank) in his town. His efforts as the owner have helped to keep his local town alive, preventing it from being taken over by Mr. Potter, a wealthy man known for his infamy. One day, George leaves his Uncle Billy to watch the bank while he is out as his brothers wedding. As he is gone, a large number of customers decide to withdraw all their money fearing that the bank may soon be unable to pay back their investments. This is formally known as a bank run. When George comes back he finds out that they have just lost $8000 threatening bankruptcy. George refuses Mr. Potters offer to buy the bank at half its value. After taking his frustration out on the rest of his family, George goes out on a long walk at night contemplating his situation and even considers suicide at one point. He begins to think that his wife and children would be better off without him. However, he soon runs into an angel sent from heaven named Clarence (Henry Travers).  He shows George what things would have been like if he had never been born. George finds out that the town would have been controlled by Potter and that most of the people he loves would have been miserable, ruined, and even dead. George soon realizes that he does have a purpose in this world, touching the lives of many people. At that moment he knows that he can not desert all the people that love him. When George returns home as a revitalized man, he is greeted by his loving family, friends, and towns people who all chip in to save his bank's financial ruin. George is stunned by their generosity, realizing that he truly has "a wonderful life". "Its a Wonderful Life" has always been a tradition in my family to watch during the Christmas season.  It is by far one of my favorite movies, in which I will be sure to pass onto my own family around Christmas time. Here is a preview of the movie: "It a Wonderful Life". Hopefully this movie means as much to you as it does to me. I wish you all a merry Christmas!

Planes, Trains and Automobiles

This is by far one of my favorite comedies of all-time! If you have not seen it yet, then I recommend it to anyone who likes to have a good laugh. The film was made in 1987 and was directed by John Hughes. It stars two of my favorite comedians, Steve Martin and John Candy. By the way, John Candy is actually Canadian and is one of my countries most beloved and cherished actors. He is most recognized for his witty humor that can be appreciated by people of all ages. Steve Martin plays an uptight, sarcastic, and very pessimistic person by the name of Neal Page. On the other hand, John Candy plays a very friendly and optimistic person named Del Griffith who tends to easily form attachments to people. These two characters are basically the exact opposite from each other in every single way; however, their lives seem to still collide with each other while they both try to get home for Thanksgiving. Previously, I wrote a blog on the movie "Due Date" that was just recently released to theaters less than a month a ago. "Due Date" seems to have used nearly the exact same storyline as "Planes, Trains and Automobiles", also including characters with very similar characteristics. But by far, the original, "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" was much better. Anyways, it is a great movie full of hilarious scenes, a plot spinning ending, and two great actors who have helped to turn Comedy into what it has became today. It is definitely worth checking out!


The main premise of the story is about two very different characters by the name of Neal Page and Del Griffith, who bump into each other on the way to the airport while trying to catch a cab. In turn, Del ends up mistakenly taking Neal's cab in which Neal had just bribed another man for it, for over a $100. This of course is not the best start for their problematic journey together. Soon after, the two of them end up running into each other again, this time at the airport, where they are both scheduled for the same flight. Before being able to depart to chicago, their plane gets caught in a bad storm forcing them to land halfway to their destination. Later on in the movie, Neil has no choice but to pair up with Del, leading them on a long and crazy journey together to try and get Neal home for his Thanksgiving Dinner with his family. To change it up a bit this week, I thought I would include some of my favorite quotes in the movie. Hope you enjoy!


This quote involves a scene when Del and Neal are waking up after sharing the same bed together in the only motel room they could afford:
Neal: Del... Why did you kiss my ear? 
Del: Why are you holding my hand? 
Neal: [frowns] Where's your other hand? 
Del: Between two pillows... 
Neal: Those aren't pillows! 

Another one of my favorite quotes in the movie is when Del talks to a police officer that had just pulled him and Neal over for speeding in their completely trashed rental car that had caught on fire the previous night before, but surprisingly still ran great:

State Trooper: What the hell are you driving here? Del: Well you see officer, we had a small fire last night, but we caught it in the nick of time. State Trooper: Do you have any idea how fast you were going? Del: Funny enough, I was just talking to my friend about that. Our speedometer has melted and as a result it's very hard to see with any degree of accuracy exactly how fast we were going.

One other great quote in the movie is when Neal complains about all the stupid things that Del does and in return he asks Del to try to name one thing that he doesn't like about him:

Del: You play with your balls a lot. Neal: I do NOT play with my balls!Del: Larry Bird doesn't do as much ball-handling in one night as you do in an hour! Neal: Are you trying to start a fight? Del: No. I'm simply stating a fact. That's all. You fidget with your nuts a lot. Neal: You know what'd make me happy? Del: Another couple of balls, and an extra set of fingers? 

Those quotes are hilarious, and trust me, there are many more as well. "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" is a really great movie that I have came to appreciate more and more over the past  several years of watching it sporadically from time to time. It seems to get funnier the more I watch it, which is something that does not happen to often in comedies. Here is a preview of the movie to help you decide: "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles". You will not be disappointed!