The Lake House (2006) Movie Download

Oh my gosh people, just go see it!,

IMDB Rating : 6.7

I've been a pretty avid movie fan for many years. I've seen countless romantic movies from all ages of film, and this one absolutely stands up well with the majority of the greatest of them.

Don't believe the critics, I don't. I've been disappointed and angered by being suckered in to seeing movies I disliked or absolutely hated on many occasions, and with greater frequency recently. I haven't a clue what makes the critical media tick, and I'm not sure that they do either.

This is very simply a lovely film on every level, from dialog, to direction, to cinematography, to consistently outstanding acting performances across the board. The delicately-embedded sheer decency of this film makes it a totally recommendable film for persons of all ages, although I'm guessing that most really young ones would get bored and fidgety before too long.

Bullock's and Reeves' performances and chemistry here can be described in one word: luminescent. Please avoid coming into the theater with a bad attitude, that is seldom helpful in gaining enjoyment from quality film-making. Just don't be overly critical of what you may conceive as plot holes and inconsistencies. After all, the first and foremost goal of film is to entertain you. And entertained you will be, in the grandest fashion of great Hollywood cinema.

I am deliberately refraining from specific description from the movie. Too many people are posting spoilers without warning here. But the chemistry is magical, the plot logical if entirely implausible, and the complete package is as satisfying as Hollywood is likely to provide.

I came out of the theater thinking that this is the kind of movie that is seldom made anymore, but then I realized that it's the kind of movie that has seldom been made at any juncture in the history of film.

An extraordinary effort, and a stunning success. Don't miss this one in the theater, because you'll later wish that you hadn't. I expect word-of-mouth to provide this film with a long theater run, but don't wait until it's too late.

Note to Hollywood: You have in these leads potentially one of the great romantic pairings in the history of film. Don't blow your chance.

Twilight (2008) Movie Download

Count me as a Twilighter.....,

IMDB Rating : 5.3

I can't remember the last time that I was literally one of 3 or 4 men in an otherwise packed theater. Tonight was just the case when my wife and I took in Twilight. My interest had been peaked by a co-worker who is female and a big Twilight fan. My wife has not read the books (nor I) but did receive the first 2 for Christmas. We wanted to check out the movie and see what all the hoopla was all about. We were not disappointed.

I really enjoyed this movie. It does play like an episode straight out of any female focused romance story that is currently playing on TV. But there is a maturity about the film that brings it up a notch. It is full on love story stuff, but being a guy who isn't afraid to embrace the chick-flick side, I was pulled into the story, even though I know basically the outcome of the whole 4 book set. Catherine Hardwicke spun a very nice tale, it is shame she will not be back for New Moon. I thought all of the acting was top notch, Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson the obvious standouts. But it was the supporting characters; Edward's family, Bella's friends and family, that really helped with the enjoyment of the film.

I had heard reports of laugh inducing dialog, never caught any of that. With any story that has a target audience that is in their teen years, one must expect earnest and often overly dramatic dialog and moments. It never goes into the day-time soap variety.

There was a lot of online snipping from mucho-macho fanboys that mocked the film (without having read the books) and called in a Covenant clone. Too bad they won't let their geek cred take a hit and actually go see this film before bashing it. Not anything that will change cinema forever, but a very different and entertaining take on the vampire genre. The thing I enjoyed the most was the return of romance to the vampire tale. Recent films have taken a more action approach to the vampire tale. I can't wait for New Moon. 

V for Vendetta (2005) Movie Download

Utterly Spectacular!

IMDB Rating: 8.2

I was a fan of the "V for Vendetta" graphic novel, and Alan Moore disinheriting the film was a bit discouraging. But he's always been a little crazy. The film version is everything I could have possibly hoped for - gripping, chilling, intense, exciting, heartbreaking. It gets Moore's music if not his exact words; elements are slightly different, subplots removed. But the idea - as V himself would be so proud to say - remains the same.

The plot is surprisingly complex and nuanced, and I don't want to give anything more away than the previews already have. Suffice it to say that a masked anarchist (voiced by Hugo Weaving) must save a young woman (Natalie Portman) during his attempt to expose corruption in the government. Weaving is perfectly cast, using his formidable physicality and imposing voice to give gravitas to the insanity of the character. Portman has gone from child to teen star and is finally emerging as a talented, adult actress following her Oscar-nominated turn in "Closer". Here, she gives her best performance to date as the orphan Evey. John Hurt is characteristically impressive as the enigmatic government leader, and Stephen Rea gives a wonderful supporting turn as the police inspector charged with finding V - before it's too late.

The Wachowski Brothers' former protégé, James McTiegue, takes on the directing duties here and helms an enormously impressive first feature, using every trick in the book in a manner reminiscent of his mentors' breakout hit "The Matrix". Unlike "The Matrix", McTiegue allows the story to be more of a focus than the action, and as a result the film is a tense and emotional thriller, with outbursts of spectacularly filmed and choreographed action. Showing more maturity and restraint than the Wachowskis, McTiegue doesn't show off, and his trickery isn't self conscious. When slow-motion overtakes a late action sequence, it seems as natural as breathing. The late cinematographer Adrian Biddle (the film is dedicated to his memory) does an outstanding job, Oscar-nominated Dario Marianelli's score is a fantastic accompaniment to the piece, and the visual effects are astonishing, terrifying, and deeply moving, especially in the climatic moments in Trafalgar Square.

With solid acting, great action, and fantastic technical wizardry, it sounds just like another "Matrix"-style ripoff. But the biggest difference in "V" is that it is a story of real ideas - not a fantastic, science fiction creation, but a genuine examination of the human condition. The power of fear takes center stage here - the fear of war, of disease, of famine. Fear is a basic human nature, and has been exploited as a weapon - a method of control - for centuries. And for those who would use it, a masked man waits in the shadows to carry out your sentence. The verdict? Vengeance. "V for Vendetta" is a must-see.