Black Swan

Ever since the trailer for this film appeared on the internet I’ve been dying to see it. It is a trippy and successful mixture of two things I love: psychological thrillers and dance. The masterful handheld camera work helps the audience immerse themselves inside the brain of Nina, Natalie Portman, a high-strung ballerina. Though nothing about the inner workings of Nina’s head is clearly spelled out, you never feel as though something is missing. All the pieces are there, you just have a choice as to how you want to put it together. And all the surreal and trying elements of this dark story lead up to an ending that finishes the film perfectly.

Skyline

Aliens invading earth isn’t exactly the most original idea for a film, but fun to watch. The characters in the movie were obnoxious and belonged on a VH1 celebreality show. Though everything about the characters and their plots was boring, the aliens were great and worth watching. They were a mixture of all the different aliens from great cinema mashed up into an alien race hell bent on ridding earth of humans. It was awesome watching them get rid of the main characters.

The Hereafter

I know that Clint Eastwood is a critically acclaimed director, but I generally avoid his movies unless the topic seems interesting. The trailer for this movie made it seem interesting, but I had no idea what the real topic was and I was still wondering that after the movie was over. I kept waiting for something to happen because there must be a reason why these characters were the way they were, but yet nothing happened. When the movie was over all I wanted was some chocolate to chase away the depressed and unsatisfied feeling I was left with.

Conviction

When simply looking at the plot of this film, a woman who never graduated high school puts herself through law school to help get her wrongfully convicted brother out of jail, it sounds like a Lifetime movie. However, great acting and nonlinear story telling helps keep this movie fresh and intriguing. Sam Rockwell gave a stellar performance as the brother and it was wonderful to see Minnie Driver, who played Hilary Swank's friend, in something because she is a talented actress who isn't used nearly enough. I enjoyed the pacing and the talent that brought this movie together. It was a wonderful way to spend my Tuesday evening.

Paranormal Activity 2

When the first Paranormal Activity came out I was excited, and honestly it wasn’t that scary the first time I saw it, but got increasingly scarier the more times I’ve watched it. It’s so rare to find an actual scary horror movie that doesn’t rely on blood and gore; I was ready to give this sequel my money. The first half of the movie was boring filled with supposedly creepy shots of a pool cleaner and thumping noises. Then something big happened that made me jump and put me on edge for the rest of the film. The ending, however, was laughable and lame. This movie is filled with cheap scares, effective and fun, but cheap.

My Soul to Take 3D

There’s nothing in the world like horror movie logic. It’s what helps Freddy haunt dreams, Chucky’s soul stay inside a doll, Jason come back to life and Michael never die. And this movie relied on the same kind of logic. A serial killer with not multiple personalities, that’s been done to death, but multiple souls. Ooooohhhhh. Awwwweeee. I’m just happy that the killer's soul stayed away from killing animals and stuck to annoying teenagers, making this a bloody fun movie.

Case 39

This is one of those cases where there was probably a great script, but then too many people interfered and it was muddled into something far less. There were great creepy ideas in the movie and the premise was fresh and exciting, but the elements didn’t quite add up. A lot of it had to do with the horrible performances from Renee Zellweger and Bradley Cooper. I never bought Renee as a mousy social worker or Bradley as a child therapist, he’s way too slimy for that. I just wish it was better movie.

I Spit on Your Grave (2010)

Gore porn for women. That is the best way to describe this intense, but fun movie. I remember watching the original 1978 film during my revenge phase and cringing during the too graphic rape scene, wishing for the worse torment to be bestowed upon the rapists and not being satisfied. This wasn't the case with the remake. All the issues I had with the original were solved. The rape scene is still graphic, but when it becomes too much to handle the film fades to black, giving the audience a sigh of relief. The revenge, which is what the film is all about, is bloody and justifiable. All of the men responsible for brutally raping the girl get theirs and it is bloody satisfying. I loved this film, better than the original, by far.

Dinner for Schmucks

Every girl has a secret "geek crush" and for me it's Steve Carell. Ever since I saw him in the 40 Year Old Virgin, I've had a little crush. He's the reason why I watch the Office every week. Who wants Jim when you can have Michael Scott? So I was obviously drawn to this movie because I had to see my favorite geek being his adorable idiotic self, I just wish he was less of an idiot. I hate sitting in a movie and watching a character continually screw up; it's frustrating. And with this movie there didn't seem to be enough resolution proportional to the anguish I felt watching Carell consistently make things worse. I also felt they didn't use Paul Rudd to his full potential. I was waiting for him to let his schmuck flag fly, but there was nothing. And honestly, I could've done without Zack Galifianakis. To me, he's always playing the same character and I got enough of that character in The Hangover. I did laugh, out loud, a few times, but I'm glad I only paid $3 to see it.

The Social Network

Is this the film that defines my generation, generation y, the millennials? It is. How could it not be? It’s about the one thing our generation is hopelessly addicted to, Facebook, social networking, and instant gratification. Mark Zuckerberg is the quintessential icon for this generation with his slacker attitude, need for things to happen instantaneously, emotional detachment, and drive for power. This geek may have invent one of the biggest icons of the last decade, but he is still geek who wants nothing more than to be seen as cool and can’t get Erica, the girl who broke his heart out of his head. It can even be concluded after the film that his creation of Facebook was a way to win her back. What this film is lacking is the female voice of the generation which can only be heard once at the beginning of the film when Erica dumps Mark and says, “you’re going to go through life thinking girls don’t like you because you’re a nerd, but really, it’s because you’re an asshole.” Just because a man is a nerd or a geek doesn’t make him easier to get along with, it might even make it harder. This film is worth seeing because it is an important film. It is a glimpse into the mind of the newest power-hungry worker drones graduating from college and infiltrating the corporations or creating their own.