Unstoppable

I just saw the movie "Unstoppable" in theaters this weekend and I thought that it was actually very good. I would probably say that it was fairly predictable, but I was still able to really enjoy it. Not only that, but ever since I was little and got to go on a passenger train ride with my Dad, through the Rocky Mountains from Vancouver to Calgary, I have grown a great passion for trains. So as you can see, this movie came to be quite enjoyable to me and as well as my dad. Train lovers or not, I'm sure that you'll still love this movie. It is a 2010 American Action-packed thriller with the occasional input of humor that for the most part would be appealing for the majority of movie-goers. "Unstoppable" was directed by Tony Scott and written by Mark Bomback. It is also based on true events, so in other words it is fairly dramatized. The movie stars Denzel Washington who plays the character Frank Barnes, and Chris Pine who plays the role of Will Colson. They both seem to do a great job with their parts in the movie. I'm sure that you will not be disappointed with this one.

Frank Barnes is a 28-year veteran train engineer who has just been given a 90-day forced retirement notice with half the benefits. On the other hand, Will Colson has just been given a job offer to work for the company in the same Fuller yard. On his way to work, Will tries to call his wife but she refuses to pick-up, purposely avoiding him for the past couple of weeks. Later on in the movie, you find out that this was because he was suspicious of her cheating on him when she refused to let him see who she was texting one day. After leaving her in anger, he later finds out that she was just texting her friend and not the man he threatened. Later on in the movie, Will is still learning how to be a train conductor so he is teamed up with Frank to help teach him the daily routine on how to properly operate a locomotive engine. While on their train schedule, Frank and Will are warned that there is an unstoppable, unmanned train close by, head-on in their direction, put into motion by human error. They soon find out that this train is also carrying several carts of highly toxic and explosive chemicals, dramatically increasing the danger of this problem. In turn, they are asked to stop at the next siding to let the train pass them without collision, but Frank was confident that they had too large of a load to fit. Instead, Frank and will decide to stay on the main track, just getting off in time on a cleared RIP track further down, allowing the unmanned train to safely pass. After seeing the train pass, Frank notices that the last carts coupling is still open realizing that they could stop it if they catch up to it in reverse, latch on to the cart, and pull it in the opposite direction. Will decides to stay with him to help out the most that he possibly can, feeling that it is a chance for him to win back his wife, and stop the reckless train. While this is going on, there also are several other failed attempts to stop the train, one of which included the death of Franks close friend. This is when the movie really starts to get good, becoming quite the rollercoaster ride (or I guess I should say train ride). It is also really interesting to see two very different characters (Frank and Will) open up to each other, both realizing that they could die in their attempt to stop the runaway train. I really recommend this one to anyone who is interested in the story line.  Here is a short preview to help you decide: "Unstoppable". I Hope you enjoy this one as much as I did!

Forrest Gump

"Forrest Gump" is probably one of the best movies of all-time. If you have not seen this movie before, than you are really missing out on a great cinematic adventure. It is by far one of my favorite movies. It was based on the book "Forrest Gump", written by Winston Groom. The novel was also very well-done with a couple aspects in it that were not included in the movie. However, I feel that "Forrest Gump" is one of the very few movie adaptation’s that was even better than the book. This is something that you rarely get to see in movies that were based on books; usually critics who have read the book beforehand tend to criticize the movie, but in this case it became an American classic. I think one of the strongest attributes of this movie is that it has such a wide-range appeal to all viewers. This is mainly because it covers nearly all major genres of movies in one film: this includes comedy, romance, drama, action, and even historical non-fiction. Also, Tom Hanks did a wonderful job playing the role of Forrest Gump, stating that it was the best roll that he has ever played. Forest Gump is considered to be borderline mentally challenge.  Like Forrest says, "Stupid is, as stupid does." However, he never let his limitations prevent him from accomplishing amazing things. It was truly miraculous to watch Forrest Gump’s simple character grow to have such a big heart. Through all his many adversities, he still was able to keep a positive outlook on life. To be honest with you, this is one thing that I have learned from Forrest Gump: you just need to have a little faith, and never give up on your dreams. Like Forrest's mom told him, "Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get."

I'll give you a short summary to help you decide if you would enjoy "Forrest Gump" as much as I did. And trust me, you will! The movie starts out in the year 1981, where Forrest Gump begins to tell an older lady (as well as many other people further on in the movie) the story of his life to help pass the time. He begins by talking about his childhood. This is when the movie flashes back, eventually leading up to him discussing his story at the bus stop. It then progresses onto more of his life, leading to the climax of the story, and the ultimate resolution. He talks about how his mother was able to convince his principle to get into his public school, even with his fairly low IQ. On his first day of school, none of the kids on the bus would let him sit down next to them except one girl name Jenny. She will become his best friend and protector throughout their close relationship as children and later on as friends. Soon Forrest will grow to love Jenny more than he himself could understand. As a child, the doctor gave him leg braces, thinking that it was the best way to help "straighten him out". One day while walking with Jenny, a group of bullies road up on their bikes and began to throw rocks at him. Forrest resists to movie until Jenny yells, "Run Forrest, run!" This is a reoccurring motif throughout the movie. Forrest takes off while being chased by the boys on their bikes. His leg braces ripped right off and he was able to run faster than ever. This is when Forrest discovers one of his first miraculous talents. The movie goes on and eventually Forrest graduates high school. After being chased in a truck by the same, but older bullies, Forrest ends up running accidentally across the University of Alabama’s football field during their practice. This is where the coach discovers his amazing speed, seeing that he could outrun a hail-marry. He was soon given a football scholarship to Alabama, where he becomes the star players of the team. After graduating, he ends up enlisting into the military during the Vietnam War, not really knowing any better. This is where he meets one of his best friend name Bubba who convinces him to get into the shrimping business with him after the war. This is also where he meets the character Lt. Dan. Later on, Forrest Gump ends up getting caught in a Vietnamese ambush with the rest of his platoon, where he listens to Jenny’s advice to just run when he gets into any trouble. After making it to the shoreline, he realizes that he had left Bubba, so he ends up running back into the dangerous ambush. On his way, he runs into several other injured American soldiers, rescuing them as well. Finally after finding Bubba, he takes him to wear it was safe with the other men, however it was too late. Forrest is given the Medal of Honor from President Nixon for his tremendous bravery. Forrest ends up keeping his promise to Bubba, by establishing the "Bubba-Gump Shrimp Company” with Lt. Dan. Forrest ends up making a fortune off their company and as well as his investment in "Apple", which he believes to be some sort of fruit company. Forrest continues to spread his generosity by giving Bubba’s Momma, Bubba’s share, and also donating a lot of the money to charities, as well as a new hospital in town and a gospel church. I think I have already ruined enough for you, and trust me there is much more. This includes Forrest Gump’s accomplishments, such as running all across the United States from coast to coast, being a world champion ping-pong player, and eventually marrying the love of his life, Jenny. Please do yourself a favor and watch this movie. There is so much more to it than I already discussed with you. It is full of beautiful screenshots, a great soundtrack, lots of symbolism, and even a great historical outline of this time period. Not only that but this movie also won several awards, including "Best Picture" at the Academy Awards. Here is a preview of the movie for you to see: "Forrest Gump". I cannot stress my point any stronger! You will love it!

In the Name of the Father

As I walked in on my Dad watching TV, the movie "In the Name of the Father" came on. My Dad strongly recommended that I watch it with him because he said it was very well done. So I thought "Why not? I still have to make a blog on a movie anyways". After watching the whole movie, I found it to be great!  "In the Name of the Father" is based on the true story about the Guildford Four and was directed by Jim Sheridan. It stars Daniel Day-Lewis (playing Gerry Conlon), Emma Thompson (playing Gareth Peirce), and Pete Postlethwaite (playing Giuseppe Conlon). The setting of the movie first takes place in Northern Ireland during the problems between an Irish terrorist group known as the IRA, and the British government. The IRA formed to try and reunite Northern Ireland, which is part of Britain, with the rest of the predominantly Catholic Republic of Ireland. During this time the IRA was an extremely violent group that tried to intimidate the British through violence. The main premise behind the story is the false conviction of four young Catholics and their family, who were wrongly convicted for supposedly being the IRA terrorists who bombed the Guildford Pub, killing five people. The conflict in the film is between the British police who try to cover up the fact that they arrested and convicted innocent people, and the victims fight to reveal the truth and free themselves from this injustice. It is a really well done movie that if you have not seen it yet, I would definitely recommend that you do so.

Now that you have heard my own comments on the movie, I will give you the main description of it so that you can decide if you would enjoy watching this yourself. The movie begins with the main character Gerry Conlon, a Catholic, who lives in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Of course during this time the IRA was stirring up a lot of chaos in this area, in efforts to unite Ireland. During this time, Garry Conlon was messing around with the British Military, getting involved in riots. His father, Giuseppe Conlon, feared for his safety, getting him to move to England to live with his Aunt Anne Maguire, for the time being, until things settle down back home. In his stay in England, he decides to live with a group of hippies instead of with his aunt. After getting in a fight with one of the hippies at this abandoned house, Gerry and his friend Paul Hill, who is also from Ireland, go out for the night to blow off some steam. They decide to spend the night on a bench with a homeless man named Charles Burke (a key character in the trial), who they were with while the incident of the Guildford Pub bombing happened. Later, they ended up bumping into a female prostitute who was inconsiderate towards Gerry. As she drives off in a car, she accidently drops her keys without noticing. In spite, Gerry robs her apartment, taking a large stash of her money. Coincidentally, Gerry and Paul ended up buying some extravagant clothes with their money. They were linked to the bombing through the supposed evidence of being falsely accused by the same hippie that they argued with the previous night, and also being some of the few Catholic's in that area. This was enough to get a warrant, so that they could try to force them to confess.  After visiting back home, Gerry and Paul were interrogated by the police, who took them back to Britain to be to be question about the bombing. The criminal investigators harassed and tortured them mentally and physically to try to get them to confess to a crime that they did not commit. In his son’s defense, Gerry's father Giuseppe Conlon came to try and negotiate with the police to see what the problem could be. However, he and the rest of his family were arrested instead for supposedly supplying the "Guildford Four" with homemade bombs. Eventually, Paul Hill is forced to confess to a crime he did not commit when the police shove a gun down his throat, forcing to do so or else they would kill him. Soon after, Gerry Conlon is also forced to admit to the same crime that he also did not commit, threatening to kill his father if he did not do so either. For the most part, the investigators just wanted any possible group to be labeled and put in jail for this horrible crime in order to keep the angered English public satisfied. The movie really picks up in pace after this, leading them to a court trial where they are accused for the bombing. Each of them are sentenced to prison for years, including Gerry's sentence for a lifetime. Eventually, a lawyer named Gareth Peirce puts her faith in their case, devoting years of her life to get an appeal with the proper supportive evidence to get them all out of jail. This is where the movie really begins to get good, so I won't ruin anymore for you, but you should definitely go watch it to find out. Here is a little preview that you are welcome to go watch: "In the Name of the Father". I hope everyone enjoys this one!

3:10 To Yuma

I have seen this movie a couple of times before and I just saw it the other day again in my film class. The amazing thing about "3:10 to Yuma" is that I can watch it over and over again and I don't seem to get any less intrigued. In fact, I think it gets more interesting because I continue to look harder for symbols, foreshadowing, and other meanings throughout the movie. And this is something that you don't get to see too often in movies. It stars two great and popular actors, Christian Bale and Russell Crowe. Christian Bale plays the character Dan Evans who would be considered the hero of the movie. On the other hand, Russell Crowe plays Ben Wade, who represents more so of a villainous character. Both their roles are played perfectly and to the tee, really allowing you to become intrigued by their character.  It is definitely one of my all-time favorite westerns, so if you like western movie, I would definitely recommend it!

Before you decide whether or not you would like to see "3:10 to Yuma", I'll just give you a short summary on the basics of the movie. A husband and father of two named Dan Evans is going through many problems. This includes a drought in which has caused his farm to be greatly hurt, and nearly completely dried out. Due to the drought he and his wife become broke, making it very hard to support their sons. His eldest son has lost all respect for his father, which really seems to take a huge toll on Dan. Later on in the movie Dan and his two sons bump into a posse of rebellious criminal cowboys, of which had just robbed an armored cart. Their gang leader Ben Wade is well-known for being a notorious killer and stealer. After making terms with each other, the gang goes off on their own to a nearby town. Later on the sheriffs arrive at the scene where Dan helps to lead them back to the town in which they came from where the gang had just left to. Dan walks into the local bar to sort out a couple of things that Wade owed him after killing some of his cattle, while at the same time letting the sheriffs surround  the bar to capture Wade. They burst in forcing him to surrender. The next step to the story was transporting their prisoner Wade to a train station way out of town, leaving to Yuma at 3:10. Dan quickly takes up the job for $200, along with a couple of other men. He knows that by completing this job he can win his families respect and get them enough money to provide a good environment to support them. This is where the story really gets good leading to quite the journey. Also, you get to see a strange relationship form between Ben Wade and Dan Evans. Even though these men are very different, they still seem to share great respect for each other. Through their respect, you get to see the thin line between good and evil. It is full of great action, symbolism, and the close relationship between good and evil. I really recommend that you go see this movie! Here is a short preview to help you decide: "3:10 to Yuma". Trust me, you won't be disappointed!"

Due Date

This weekend I decided to go see "Due Date", which was just released to theaters. Seeing as though this movie was made and directed by the same people who did the movie "The Hangover", I felt that this too would have to be pretty funny. It also stars Robert Downey Jr., who plays Peter Highman, and Zack Galifianakis, who plays Ethan Tremblay. I’m sure you all know Zack Galifianakis from "The Hangover", which he was hilarious in. And not only that, but I'm sure you are familiar with good old Robert Downey Junior’s role in "Iron Man". They are both great actors who seemed to really work together quite well in "Due Date". You also get to see some of their similar humors from past movies that they stared. After watching the movie I was quite pleased with the outcome. It was fairly good, although I would not call it "Hangover" good. It was still very funny though, with lots of great scenes and lines that would be hard not to break-out laughing at. I definitely think it is a movie that is well-worth the time and money. If you’re looking for a new movie to get a good laugh out of, then "Due Date" is for you.

Anyways, I'll just give you an outline on the basics of "Due Date". In the very beginning of the movie, Peter Highman is on the way to the airport to try and get home to Los Angeles to see his wife deliver their expected baby. Upon his arrival to the airport he opens the car door of the cab, when all of the sudden a car zooms by and rips the door right off. At that time a man by the name of Ethan Tremblay gets out of the passenger side of the same car, knocking his own bags into Peter's, where they accidently switch paper bags. While Peter is going through security he gets his paper bag flagged over and checked. The security guard ends up confiscating his bag, which was not his, because it had marijuana and a bong in it. Later while boarding the plane, Peter bumps into Ethan again who coincidentally is bumped up to first class, right in the seat behind him. As the passengers are told to shut off all their cell phones before the plane embarks, Peter tries to finish a text to his wife. Ethan leans forward and advises him to shut it off seeing as though it is part of the airlines protocol. However, Peter refuses to saying that he just wants to finish up his last text. Ethan loudly continues to try and get him to shut off his phone, saying that the attendants may suspect him to be a terrorist trying to set off a bomb. Peter asks Ethan to please be quiet, saying that you should not say those words on an airplane. I found it hilarious when Ethan continues to repeat himself causing a commotion on the plane, to the point where Peter is asked to step up to the front of the plane. Peter refuses to move, so the plane air Marshall gets up and tells him please come with him and drop the phone. Peter persists that it is not a bomb, waving it around in the air. He is than shot by the air Marshall with a rubber bullet. Later, both Peter and Zack are put on the no-fly-list, restricting them from being able fly home. Zack rents a car and offers Peter a ride to Los Angeles, seeing as though he is going there to because his father had just died and he promised him that he would pursue his acting career. Peter left had his wallet and suitcase on the plane, leaving him no choice but to travel with Zack. This is where the story really gets good, filled with tons of hilarious scenes. One of the funniest things about this movie is Zack's ignorance to his stupidity and his unbearable personality, and Peter's smart-ass humor. If you like comedies, I know you will all really enjoy this movie! Here is a brief preview of the movie: "Due Date". Hope everyone enjoys it!

The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard

I heard many mixed-up reviews on this movie before watching. I thought I would go out and rent "The Goods" myself to really see how it is. When it came out it was marketed like crazy, and by just judging the commercials it actually looked rather funny. However, after watching this movie, it just may be one of the worst comedies I have ever seen. In fact, I don't even think that "The Goods" deserves to be considered a comedy because I barely laughed once. I don't usually blog about bad movies, but this one was so bad that I just had to share it with you guys. Now I don't know if you have seen it or not, but I am sure you will agree with me if you watch it yourself. This movie was so bad that I actually fell asleep in it and when I woke up I had to rewind it back just so that I would have enough valuable information to blog about it. If I had to pick out the funniest part of the movie, it would be the fact that it was funny how bad some of the jokes were; it was as if they were trying too hard to make you laugh. I really cannot explain why it was so bad. I guess it is just something that you will have to see for yourself (if you feel like watching an hour and a half of pure torture).

Anyways, I will just tell you the main storyline of the movie. "The Goods" stars Jeremy Piven who plays a mercenary named Don Ready. The other main star in the film is Ed Helms playing the character Paxton who has his own Backstreet Boys style band called the Big Ups. I quite like both of these actors who have played many good roles in past comedies; however, they were terrible in this movie, sparking no humor at all. In the movie, Ben Selleck's car dealership is having business trouble and will be forced to foreclose unless he is able to sell at least 211 cars before the end of July 4th weekend. Paxton and his dad Stu try to buy the dealership from Ben hoping to put him out of business seeing as though they own a competitive car dealership nearby. Instead, Ben Selleck decides to hire Don Ready and his team who convince him that he does not need to sell the company because with their skills they can sell out the whole car lot. At the same time Don is determined to do so in order to win over the love that he has for Ben's daughter Ivy Selleck, who is engaged to Paxton. The team will do everything they can to sell out all the cars for Ben's dealership, going through many obstacles and using many obscure techniques to do so. One of these techniques is advertising on a TV commercial that Ben has Testicular Cancer and that all he wants to do before he dies is sell all the cars at his dealership. In my opinion, that is just messed up. Did they really think that a serious matter such as cancer would be funny to viewers! Well there you have it! That is the movie and if it sounds good to you than go see. Trust me when I say this, "Don’t do it to yourself. It really is not worth your precious time!" But here is a short preview of the movie anyways: "The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard". Believe me, you will really hate it!

The Buddy Holly Story

Ever since doing a little research on the musician Buddy Holly for my project "The American Dream through Music" I soon became very intrigued by him. This weekend I decided to rent "The Buddy Holly Story", to get a further understanding on his short but meaningful life. I found this movie to be very interesting and really well-done. Of course it does not 100% accurately display Buddy Holly's musical career, but it is definitely pretty close. Buddy Holly is played by the actor Gary Busey, who does a rather good job in portraying Holly's character. In fact, all the singing in the movie was actually done by Busey himself, which is quite amazing when you come to think about it. This movie displays Buddy Holly's life from the age of 19 to 22 years old, showing you his rapid success in becoming one of the most famous Rock N' Roll stars of all time in just a few years. His music will lead to generations of new singers who will come to idolize his huge influence on music. If you are a big fan of Buddy Holly or just interested in knowing more about how he shaped Rock N’ Roll, then I would definitely recommend you go watch this. It will truly give you a whole other appreciation for music and most importantly in this case Rock N' Roll.

The movie begins when Buddy Holly is just 19 years old and graduated from High School. With his great passion for his new style of music, he hopes to someday be able to share it with everyone across the world. In the opening scene, Buddy Holly plays with his band at a roller rink while being put on the live local radio station. After getting tired of playing plain old country style music he decides to step it up a notch, showing the people what he is really capable of. He begins to perform "That'll be the Day", and before you know it the whole place is up on their feet and dancing. People on the local radio also hear it, so the broadcaster decides to send it into the Nashville’s record producer. Teenagers across the town become in love with his new music, but he is soon looked down upon by many of his older adult figures across the town who call it the Devils music. However, Holly is confident in his music and knows that the kids who are enjoying it the most won’t always be kids forever, so before you even know it everyone will be listening to it. Later Buddy Holly and his band are sent down to Nashville to make an album. However, Holly becomes frustrated with the record producer, knowing that he will only play his music his way and no other way, so he and the band backs out on the album. Buddy than is offered to produce music all on his own in New York City by a man named Ross Turner (played by Conrad Janis). Buddy Holly and his band accept the deal and soon begin to make several albums with the producer. Buddy Holly and his band members become known as "Buddy Holly and the Crickets." In less than a year’s time their music is being played across the world, soon becoming known as Rock N' Roll. Nearly two years later Buddy Holly's band begin to miss being away from home for so long and start to feel over shadowed by Buddy's fame, so they decide to break up Buddy's band, leaving him. By this time Buddy Holly is now married to Turner's secretary, Maria Elena Santiago (played by Maria Richwine) who soon becomes pregnant with their child. Buddy is convinced by his record producer Ross Turner to go on the 1959 Winter Tour for five weeks in order to get is name heard across America. Buddy Holly has his last concert, along with the famous performers the Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens, at a winter dance in Clear Lake, Iowa. At the end of the concert Buddy Holly plays his final song, "Not Fade Away", and says his farewell to the crowd with "Thank you Clearlake! We love you. C'mon....we'll see you next year!” The movie ends with a caption saying that after the concert their bus breaks down, so the three of them end up chartering a plane together, which crashes that very night causing all three of their deaths. This day has ever since than been known as "the day the music died." Sadly, this is a very true statement and it is a tragedy that could have so easily been prevented. Hopefully this is a movie that you may too be interested in, that will help you understand Buddy Holly’s strong influence on today’s music and the beginnings of Rock N' Roll. Here is a preview of the movie: "The Buddy Holly Story". Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!