Taken (2008)

Cinema Sweetheart's Rating: 9 out of 10

Director: Pierre Morel

Starring: Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen

Rated: PG-13

Genre: Action, Crime, Thriller

Runtime: 93 minutes

Bryan Mills (Neeson) only wants to have a real relationship with his daughter Kim (Grace) again.  But, being a retired CIA agent really makes things difficult for their relationship; he was never there for her as a child, and now, his background makes him constantly paranoid. So, when she asks for his permission to go to France with her friend Amanda (Katie Cassidy), Bryan is naturally cautious.  Both Kim and Bryan's ex-wife Lenore (Janssen) are quick to reassure him, and he allows her to go with some strict conditions.  But, upon his daughter's arrival in France, Bryan's worst fears are realized.  A panicked Kim calls him, telling him that she and her friend are in the process of being kidnapped.  When one of the kidnappers picks up the phone, Bryan tells vows that he will find and kill him if he does not release Kim.  With the kidnapper's final taunting words "Good luck," Bryan sets out to save his daughter, no matter who or what stands in his way.

If there was one thing that this movie really struck home for me, it was to listen to your parents.  They know what they are talking about.  Even when they're cramping your style or taking your fun away.  Oftentimes, they do it because they are speaking from experience, and don't want to have something happen to you.  When you don't listen, things can happen.  I had one of those moments not that long ago, and while I won't go into details, I can safely say two things: 1.) It did not involve the Albanian sex trade in France and 2.) My dad was absolutely right, and I should have listened to him.  So, as I was watching Taken, my dad was constantly on my mind.

This really was a great film.  It had everything one would want in an action thriller: there was suspense, awesome fight scenes, not a lot of blood and gore, and a really epic storyline.  I watched this one with my brother, and we were on the edges of our seats from start to finish.  It was GREAT!  And besides just an awesome plot, the audience was presented with a main character we could all love and connect with.  Most of these action films have characters you can't fully understand because they're too hardened, too tough, or too cool.  Bryan was tough, but he also had a softer side which made him easier to understand.  In many ways, he reminded me of my own dad, and personally, that made him even easier to understand.  Liam Neeson played a wonderful father figure, and I loved the thought that even though he was a kick-ass CIA retiree, he was still a sweet, caring, gentle father.

I think what also made this movie so intense for me was that the sex trade is alive in Europe (and all over the world).  Sex trafficking is far scarier than monsters because it's really happening.  And as a woman, it's something that I hear about quite a bit.  Not saying that every time I leave the house, I'm afraid of getting roped into the sex trade, but it is something that you think about from time to time.  And since I've done some research about it for classes and such, I was able to nod my head and say "Yep, that's a huge red flag. Kim, don't listen to him!"

I think another thing I really loved about this film was that it handled its topic in a tasteful manner.  True, it was an action film, and there was a lot of violence.  But, the violence was handled in such a way as to make it bearable.  It wasn't overly violent.  There was not an overabundance of gore.  We got the point without having it shoved down our throats.  Also, this film IS about the sex trade, but I didn't feel that they over-sexualized any of the prostitutes.  I don't think I saw a single exposed breast.  Instead of taking advantage of the topic to make a sexual movie about sex, they kept it in its proper place.  The sex trade was not made glamorous; it was made disgusting.  And I think that was something that must have been difficult to do; it would have been easy to make it overtly sexual.

All in all, an amazing movie.  Liam Neeson was amazing, his co-stars were amazing, and the plot felt real and convincing.  Sure, there were some blips, but for the most part, I was convinced.  If you're a fan of action thrillers, international intrigue, epic fight scenes, or are a father who would anything to help your child in a time of distress (or perhaps the daughter who knows that her father would do anything for her), then you would love this film.  I know I did!

And I know this is not something I'd make a habit of doing on this blog, and I know he might not read this, but I just want to say THANK YOU to my dad....Thank you for being MY hero.

The Green Hornet (2011)

Cinema Sweetheart's Rating: 6 out of 10
Director: Michel Gondry
Starring: Seth Rogen, Jay Chou, Christoph Waltz
Rated: PG-13
Genre: Action, Comedy, Crime
Run Time: 119 minutes

When Los Angeles playboy Britt Reid (Rogen), learns about the death of his father, he decides to react with a little friendly vandalism, by beheading his deceased parent’s newly dedicated memorial statue. While on this little misadventure with his estate’s mechanic Kato (Chou), the two witness and stop a mugging in progress, and Reid, hyped on adrenaline and alcohol, decides that he and Kato should become super heroes—but pose as villains in order to blend into the L.A. underworld. And so, after a series of inventions, tricked-out cars, and cool costumes, the vigilante Green Hornet is born. Unfortunately, things are not all sunshine and rainbows, as the Green Hornet’s activities catch the attention of supreme crime lord Chudnofsky, who will stop at nothing to keep this new name in crime from threatening his empire.

Now, I’m really a fan of superheroes, but before this movie, I didn’t know anything about the Green Hornet. Because of this, I’m really unable to connect this to the original series. I guess that means that my opinion of this film was fairly unbiased, at least on that front. My brother and dad, however, were fans of the show, and provided some interesting commentary in comparing the two pieces. For example, their biggest complaint stemmed from the personality of Britt, which they claimed was not very true to the original series.

Seth Rogen was distastefully crude. While in small amounts, sexual innuendo and swearing can be pretty funny, Rogen pushed it to a limit where it was no longer amusing. Instead of assisting the plot or furthering character development, it only made me wish that Britt would just shut the hell up. According to my dad and brother, Britt Reid is supposed to be a professional, collected character, something like a Bruce Wayne. While I would have been fine with a sort of goofy rich boy, I really feel that Rogen pushed it too far. And sadly, one can’t even say that Rogen was just working with what he was given, since he was the actually one of the screenwriters as well. This character is purely Rogen's creation, and I just didn’t like it. However, while there were too many times when you kind of just want to slap Britt, the character wasn’t ALL bad. In fact, there were times when he was actually really funny. But, these times become rarer and rarer as the film progresses.

Jay Chou, in contrast, played a very likeable character. While Britt Reid was something of a dunce, unable to do anything on his own, always cracking dirty jokes, and pretty much a vaguely likable foul-mouthed flop, Kato was talented, smart, and sweet. And he just had the coolest moves! In my humble opinion, one of the best parts of the film had to be watching Kato kick the tar out of the bad guys. No matter how many times I saw that, it was still cool!

Despite all this, Christoph Waltz stole the show. His someone limited role as the film’s villain was perfect in almost every regard. As this was an action comedy, there is a certain amount of humor to be leant to the role, and Waltz was undeniably perfect for the part. Chudnofsky is not a nice guy; he’s the incredibly unpredictable leader of crime empire in Los Angles, however, he’s incredibly funny. He asks for advice on how to be scary; he’s genuinely hurt when someone tells him his ideas are stupid. And then he says and does stupid things without realizing how it looks. He’s the perfect villain: threatening to the hero and funny for the audience; what more could a moviegoer ask for in an action comedy film? I think what I liked the best about this character had to be the unpredictability. After all, where’s the fun in a villain whose next move is always easy to guess? There is a certain tension that builds from this sort of character, especially when you never quite know what he’s thinking or what he’s going to do. Is he serious? Is he joking? Guess it’s time to thank your lucky stars that you’re not Britt Reid, and YOU don’t have to deal with him.

All in all, The Green Hornet was a decent movie. Not bad, but not great either. Just decent. Sometimes, that’s not a bad thing. Like when you’re just hanging out with people, or when you’re having a beer and movie night. It made for an interesting viewing session, but not something I would recommend or run out and buy on DVD. If you’re a fan of Seth Rogen and his sophomoric humor, then you might like this film. Christoph Waltz fans might enjoy his performance as well. For me personally, he was the highlight of the film.

The Minority Report (2002)

Cinema Sweetheart's Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Director: Steven Spielberg

Starring: Tom Cruise, Colin Farrell, Samantha Morton

Rated: PG-13

Genre: Action, Crime, Mystery

Runtime: 145 minutes

In the year 2054, there is no murder.  At least not in the United States capital, Washington D.C.  This is thanks to a anti-crime initiative called Precrime, which predicts a murder before it happens, so that the "murderer" can be arrested and put away before he or she has the chance to actually commit the crime.  Crime rates have never been lower, and things are starting to look great.  That is, until FBI agent Danny Witwer (Farrell) starts nosing around, asking too many questions.  He asks to see the "Precogs," the beings whose premonitions inform Precrime of all impending murders.  John Anderton (Cruise) is leery to admit him, since any contact with the Precogs is looked at as an unwelcome influence on their visions.  Not long after Witwer's visit, the Precogs have a startling new premonition: John is supposed to murder a man he has never met before.  And all at once, his life is flipped upside down, as he runs from the law he swore to protect, and to try and prove his innocence.

Normally, as I'm sure many of you know, I'm not really a fan of action films.  In fact, I don't really watch them much at all.  Mostly, I reserve those for the times when I'm with my brother or my guy friends.  When I sat down to watch Minority Report, not only was I the only lady in a group of guys, but also, I had no idea what this movie was going to be about!  But, after two plus hours, I was not bored, as I feared, but really impressed.  It was quite simply just a good movie!

The futuristic technology was quite impressive.  Computers full of information that move at the slightest gesture of your fingertips, sweet-looking futuristic cars, iris scans, and all kinds of other gadgets populated this film.  Besides being cool to watch, it also tied in an awesome crime/drama plot that was super-engaging.  I was pulled right in!  The only downside was that there was quite simply so much information that sometimes, it was hard to process it all.  However, even with one of my best friends constantly distracting me throughout the entire movie, I was still able to follow the plot line rather well.  So, it probably shouldn't be much of an issue.  There were a couple scenes that were pretty gross, so do be warned.  However, all in all, it was a dramatic, exciting two hours of crime drama, mystery, and suspense!

If you're interested in crime films, like a lot of action, and are looking for a good film for a group of guys to enjoy, then this is a great film to check out!  If you would prefer something a bit more tame and calm, then I would recommend checking something else out.  Still, on a Friday night, with a group of friends and a bowl of popcorn, this is a really good choice.

The She-Wolf of London (1946)

Cinema Sweetheart's Rating: 8 out of 10

Director: Jean Yarbrough

Starring: Don Porter, June Lockhart, Sara Haden

Rated: Not Rated

Genre: Mystery, Crime, Horror

Runtime: 61 minutes

Life for Barry Lanfield (Porter) and Phyllis Allenby (Lockhart) is quite simply wonderful.  The two are engaged to be married, and they could not be happier with the thought of spending the rest of their lives together.  Tragedy strikes, however, in the form of a string of gruesome murders at the local park; all the victims have their throats ripped out, and it is suspected that a wolf or other large animal is behind the killings.  Phyllis, suspects the worst, as she follows a trail of clues that point to her as the murderer, thanks to the horrible Allenby curse, which has plagued her family for generations.

Before I say anything else, I do just want to warn you all that this is not your average werewolf movie.  What I mean is, you never actually see the she-wolf of London, a woman with fur, fangs, claws, and a menacing growl.  She's always covered up by a cloak. Mysterious?  Yes.  Monstrous?  No.  So, in that respect, I guess you could say that She-Wolf of London is more of a mystery/crime film than a moster movie.  However, the plot is thrilling and engaging.  I was hooked until the very end, just wanting to figure out what was going to happen in this drama-packed film.

June Lockhart is adorable.  And her character is adorable, too.  Phyllis seems to be a female Larry Talbot (The Wolf Man), sweet, innocent, and sickened to the core over what they have become.  And just one look at Phyllis, and your heart just melts with pity.  Sadly, I felt that Don Porter slipped into the background as one of the many anonymous boyfriends from these sorts of movies that no one really remembers.  I felt the character wasn't super developed; rather, he filled a role but nothing more.  Although, to be honest, I feel as though the love interest character in most of these classic movies comes out a bit two-dimensional.  It must just be a flaw within the genre, to make the main, afflicted character more interesting, forcing them into the spotlight and giving them more dimension.

The best part of this movie (for me) had to be all the opportunities for silly interpretation.  Watch it for the first time when you're slap-happy, and it'll be hilariously funny, even the parts that are supposed to be super serious.  I have a feeling that this film, like The Werewolf of London is one of those movies that is honestly trying to be serious and dramatic (and probably was back in the 1940s), but is more silly today.  Still, all in all, it's a very good movie. I'd like to watch it again when I'm in a more sober mood.  Slap happy is fun, too, though.

This is a good film for anyone who enjoys mysteries, crime movies, or the classic Universal horror films.

A Fish Called Wanda (1988)

Cinema Sweetheart's Rating: 9 out of 10

Director: Charles Crichton

Starring: John Cleese, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Kline, Michael Palin

Rated: R

Genre: Crime, Comedy

Runtime: 108 minutes

Four jewel thieves set out to commit the perfect crime, then double cross each other in order to secure the loot for themselves.  At the heart of the treachery is Wanda Gershwitz (Curtis), a clever and cunning young woman, posing as the girlfriend of ringleader George (Tom Georgeson) while actually dating her supposed nutcase "brother" Otto (Kline).  Playing on the emotions that the men have for her, Wanda manages to outwit the group's stammering, animal-loving hit-man Ken (Palin), and seduce George's lawyer, Archie Leach (Cleese) in order to find out vital information about the location of the stolen diamonds, in a crazy laundry list of double-crossings, mixed alliances, and sexual liaisons.

This was quite simply a fun movie!  The plot was engaging, fast-paced, and comical, and the cast was stellar!  I loved these characters!

Jamie Lee Curtis was perfect for the title role.  Her Wanda was despicable enough for us to dislike her, but charming enough that you still secretly hoped she would get a happy ending.  It was perfectly obvious why four of the leading males (Otto, Archie, Ken, and George) were in love with her!  She's classy, sly, and very interesting.  I was never quite sure what Wanda would do next!

Otto was the one character I just loved to hate.  Kevin Kline did a wonderful job at shaping this twisted, nutty, and (don't call him stupid) character.  Despite the fact that he claims he doesn't get jealous, it's obvious that Otto isn't content with pretending to be Wanda's brother if she's seducing other men to further their get-rich-quick scheme.  He's bumbling, annoying, intrusive, in-your-face, and mean, but somehow, I don't think the film would be half as good without him!

Ken and Archie were my favorites, perhaps because they were played by Monty Python alumni Michael Palin and John Cleese respectively.  Perhaps, it was because they were both incredibly endearing, hopelessly in love, and both seemingly destined for failure. Ken, the stuttering, animal-loving hit-man can't bring himself to profess his love for his roommate's girlfriend, especially not with her unstable brother Otto sniffing around.  Archie believes that Wanda is in love with him, but doesn't realize that not only is she dating two different men (his client George being one of them), but that she's only showing interest in him to find the location of the stolen diamonds so that she can take all the profit for herself.  But, he's sweet and sad; his home life is crumbling, and he finally finds someone who makes him feel alive again.  During his scenes with Wanda, I couldn't decide if I wanted them to break up (to spare him worse heartbreak later) or stay together because it made him so happy!

All in all, this is a hilarious film!  I could not stop laughing.  Besides a wonderful plot, there is a stellar cast of unique and interesting characters.  (And might I mention that there is a cameo of sorts with a rather young Stephen Fry in the second half of the film? ;)

Batman Begins (2005)

Cinema Sweetheart's Rating: 9 out of 10

Director: Christopher Nolan

Starring: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Cillian Murphy

Rated: PG-13

Genre: Action, Drama, Crime

Runtime: 140 minutes

Sequel: The Dark Knight (2008)

There is nothing like a good superhero action movie!  And as a Marvel girl, I would normally satisfy my superhero fascinations with Spider-Man or the Fantastic Four.  DC Comics and Batman?  Not really my cup of tea.  Well, that’s what I thought until the Esteemed Film Critic loaned me his copy of Batman Begins and suggested I check it out.  Would it betray my Marvel sympathies to say that I absolutely loved it?  Batman Begins is a wonderful introduction into the world of Bruce Wayne, the dark avenger who cleans up the street by turning criminals’ fear against them.

After witnessing the death of his parents and seeing their killer released from prison, Bruce Wayne (Bale) travels to Asia and falls in with the lowest of the low in an attempt to figure out what it takes to drive a man to crime.  While there, he becomes the pupil of Henri Ducard (Neeson) and Ra’s Al Ghul (Ken Watanabe), members of a dark organization bent on wiping out evil and corruption by any means necessary; and their next target is Gotham.  As his image of his mentors is shattered, Bruce finds himself in direct conflict with those who once trained him.  While trying to overcome his own demons, Bruce Wayne takes on the identity of the Batman, and sets out to turn the fear that criminals inflict on others back on themselves; fighting fear with fear.  Meanwhile, in Gotham, a new villain is on the rise: the Scarecrow, who uses a panic-inducing neurotoxin and a burlap scarecrow mask to strike terror into the hearts of his victims.  Will Batman be able to stop him?

As I said before, I’m normally not a DC Comics fan.  More often than not, I find the plots and characters to be too dark for my tastes.  While it is true that Batman Begins is a very dark film, I would have to say that I had no real qualms about it.  In fact, I enjoyed it tremendously.  Christian Bale brought so many dimensions to the role!  Bruce Wayne was a wonderful character; dark, troubled, and although rich, influential, handsome, and strong, also so very, very human. 

Not going to lie: I was surprised to hear Batman speak.  I had been expecting the guttural, almost animalistic grunting that has come to be associated with Christian Bale’s interpretation of the character from The Dark Knight.  Not to say that I was disappointed, of course, just surprised.

A couple other things caught my attention.  First, I was thrilled with the cast!  Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, and Gary Oldman are three actors I have loved in every movie I’ve seen them in; and while I’ve not seen enough of their movies to say that they are my favorite actors, I’ve always loved them.  So, of course, having all three in one movie was awesome!  Gary Oldman surprised me the most, though.  My usual image of him is the innocent and adorable Rosencrantz in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead.  Seeing Oldman as an American Officer Gordon was a surprise to be sure!  But, I believe this just goes to show his versatility as an actor.

This is a film I would recommend very strongly, but only if you were interested in the action/drama/superhero genres.  If you are opposed to violence and intense action scenes, than this is not the film for you.  However, if you enjoy a good superhero film or are a Batman fan, then you must check this out!  This has most definitely propelled me to look more into the Batman series, although, not going to lie: at heart, I’ll always be a Spider-Man fan-girl :P

The Actors (2003)

Cinema Sweetheart's Rating: 10 out of 10

Director: Conor McPherson

Starring: Michael Caine, Dylan Moran, Michael Gambon

Rated: R

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Crime

Runtime: 91 minutes

Foreign Film: Irish (DVDs are Region 2 only)

Anthony O'Malley (Caine) and Thomas Quirk (Moran) are two Shakespearian actors about to put on the show of their lives.  To help himself really get a grip on the villainous side of his character in Richard III, Anthony starts frequenting a bar full of gangsters and low-lives, and while there, comes across a very interesting situation: in Ireland's criminal underworld, a certain party owes money to another certain party, but neither of them have ever met.  Eager to get the money for himself, Anthony decides to enlist the help of Tom, a bit actor with no talent, convincing him that acting in a real life situation where there is something at stake would make him a better actor.  Tom, pretending to be his sister's English boyfriend Clive (Ben Miller), is able to not only get the money from the gangster Barreller (Michael Gambon), but also catch the eye of Barreller’s daughter Dolores (Lena Headey).  Things seem to be going perfectly, until the second party, to whom the money is owed, demands payment, and Tom and Tony find themselves scrambling to fix things before things get worse for them.

I absolutely love this movie!  The ridiculous plot, the spot-on casting, the wonderful disguises…The Actors has it all!  First of all: the plot.  This movie is totally improbable.  Even if Tony and Tom were able to pull off the heist, there is no way that they would be able to keep up the ruse for as long as they did.  Still, it’s one of those films where it’s more comedic because it could never really happen.  You have to suspend your disbelief and just enjoy it!  Second, the casting was perfect for this film!  I loved the many faces of Dylan Moran, especially his impersonation of the Scottish hit man Jacques.  Even when he was just simply Thomas Quirk, he was a loveable and sympathetic character.  However, the big dispute arises with Michael Caine fans, who say that this is one of his worst performances, and a disappointment.  I have to argue this last point.  Michael Caine’s performance is perfect; it’s his character that is despicable.

The only warning I have for this film is language.  There is minimal violence, no sex, and nothing particularly disturbing happens.  However, the film is liberally littered with f-bombs, and would not be appropriate for younger viewing audiences.  If you don’t like excessive language, you might want to avoid this film, although, I think that the movie as a whole more than makes up for the swearing.

The Ace of Hearts (1921)

Cinema Sweetheart's Rating: 9 out of 10

Director: Wallace Worsley

Starring: Lon Chaney, Leatrice Joy, John Bowers

Rated: Not Rated

Genre: Silent, Romance, Drama, Crime

Runtime: 75 minutes

A secret society meets to discuss the fate of their "client," a powerful and corrupt man whom they believe should be killed for the greater good.  The assassin will be one of their own, and the choice is determined by whoever among them draws the ace of hearts playing card.  Farallone (Chaney) and Forrest (Bowers), two colleagues in the society, find themselves rivals for the affections of Lilith (Joy), the only female member.  However, Lilith is only concerned with the group's secret "cause," and refuses both of their advances.  However, when Forrest is dealt the ace of hearts, she agrees to marry him.  But, after their first night together, it seems that Forrest might not be able to carry out the plans.

This was a very interesting silent film, and one I enjoyed quite a bit.  There were some parts that were slow, but overall, it was an exciting premise and carried out very nicely.  Chaney and Bowers were perfect rivals.  Watching their characters Farallone and Forrest interact created just the right amount of tension and drama without being over-the-top.  Both actors had faces you could read like a book, especially in scenes of high emotion.  Bowers has very expressive eyes, and Lon Chaney, the "Man of a Thousand Faces" gave yet another riveting performance.  His character was so beautiful and so pained; its hard not to feel for Farallone!  Chaney's soulful eyes just swallow you up.  In a perfect contrast to this dark, broken character, Forrest is boyish and innocent, shy and excitable; this is a young man with his first crush.
 

Leatrice Joy also did a wonderful performance as Lilith.  Oftentimes, in films where the main purpose of a female character is to cause tension between the two male leads, its easy for them to become underdeveloped and one-sided.  However, Joy's character is full of life, and fascinating to watch as she makes her transformation from anarchist blindly following a cause to a tender, gentler woman who cares more about love than political upheaval.

All in all, a good performance.  Despite his small amount of screen time, Hardee Kirkland made a wonderful antagonist/villain as the society leader Mr. Morgridge.  I have to say though, that Chaney stole the show.  The scene where Farallone stands in the rain staring up at Lilith's bedroom window just breaks my heart.  His performance is touching, painful, and sad, but beautiful.  Sometimes, complaints are made that Chaney has a tendency to over-act.  However, if he does, this is not one of those films!

Sweeney Todd in Concert (2001)

Cinema Sweetheart's Rating: 10 out of 10

Director: Lonny Price

Starring: George Hearn, Patti Lupone, Neil Patrick Harris, Timothy Nolen

Rated: Not Rated

Genre: Musical, Drama, Crime, Horror

Runtime: 150 minutes

Other Versions: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (1982), Sweeney Todd (2007)

Initially performed on PBS, this is a wonderful production of a story that is as tantalising and forbidding as Mrs. Lovett's meat pies:

After he is wrongly imprisoned for life by a corrupt judge who wishes to seduce his wife, Benjamin Barker (Hearn) returns to London under a new name: Sweeney Todd. He joins forces with a pie maker, Mrs. Lovett (Lupone) to kill all those who wronged him. Sweeney, a barber, slits the throats of his victims while shaving them, while Mrs. Lovett turns the bodies into meat pies to hide the evidence. 

Despite the production's dark premise, this truly is an amazing musical.  George Hearn brings depth and passion to the character, making Sweeney more of an anguished anti-hero than a cold, heartless villain.  Deep emotion can be seen in just a glance or in an expression on his face.  Hearn's Sweeney provides just the right amount of bloodlust and human feeling; it almost seems that he is justified in his dark killing spree....almost.  Instead of a dark, sinister murderer, we are shown a man in the greatest pain; his wife Lucy is dead and his daughter Johanna is in the custody of the same man who had him imprisoned and drove Lucy to suicide 15 years earlier.  Of course, its not surprising that Hearn's performance is so powerful; he played the role of Sweeney once before in the 1982 film production Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street alongside Angela Lansbury.

Patti Lupone's performance as Mrs. Lovett is simply delicious.  She brings the perfect combination of humor, suspense, and drama to the part.  Her Mrs. Lovett is not only devious, but she seems completely competent, as though there is something wrong (the woman makes meat pies from human flesh!) but its hidden under the guise of a benevolent pie maker.  She is a fascinating person to watch perform, as she's so dynamic, and works perfectly alongside Hearn.

The two of them were supported by a great cast, including Neil Patrick Harris as the young Tobias Ragg (Toby), Davis Gaines as lovestruck sailor Anthony Hope, and Victoria Clark as the crazy beggar woman.  I have to say though, that probably the best supporting actor (apart from NPH, who defines awesome in every production he does) would have to be Timothy Nolen as the wicked Judge Turpin.  His character was dark, troubled, and multi-layered.  In Judge Turpin, we see almost as much conflict as in Sweeney himself, even to the point where both men give into their respective temptations.  Just as Sweeney is not totally a villain, but has his lighter, more sympathetic moments, so does the judge, who, though clearly the villain of the piece, has moments where he is very human and almost relatable.  Its hard to fully hate Nolen's Turpin, because he's so human.

A wonderful, wonderful production that I cannot recommend highly enough.  Must be seen to be fully appreciated, as I cannot do it justice on my own.

**This movie has 1 bonus feature!**

**This movie has 1 bonus feature!**

**This movie has 1 bonus feature!**

Inception (2010)

Cinema Sweetheart's Rating: 7 out of 10

Director: Christopher Nolan

Starring:Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levit, Ellen Page

Rated: PG-13

Genre:Action, Crime, Thriller, Sci-Fi

Run Time:148 minutes

Dom Cobb (DiCaprio) can go into your dreams.  As a highly skilled thief, Cobb and his team enter the dreams of others as well as bringing them into their own dreams to extract information from them.  However, this line of work is slowly tearing his life apart.  Kept away from his family, and harboring a dark secret, he grasps the only redemption he has left: perform the most intense dream invasion possible: 5th level inception.  This involves going into a dream within a dream and planting an idea in the subconsciousness of a person, in the hopes that they will accept it as their own upon waking.  However, as he dives deeper and deeper into the dream layers, will Cobb be able to come back out?  Or will he be consumed by the darkness hidden away in his deepest subconsciousness?

Before I say anything more, I'd just like to admit that action films are really not my thing.  I just don't really like them.  However, Inception was amazing.  I saw it with a group of friends, and was blown away by the amazing plot, acting, and special effects that the film contained.  DiCaprio and Page were both amazing, but DiCaprio really stole the show. The intensity of his performance was thrilling.

Although the plot of this movie sounds a bit complex, its really easy to pick up on.  This is totally a group film, and I highly recommend checking it out.  You won't be disappointed.  There is something for everyone, with lots of action and suspense, drama, romance, and redemption.  And as I've said before, the special effects are to die for!

The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Cinema Sweetheart's Rating: 10 out of 10

Director: Jonathan Demme

Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Jodie Foster, Scott Glen

Rated: R

Genre: Thriller, Drama, Crime

Run Time:118 minutes

Prequel: Manhunter (1986), Red Dragon (2002), Hannibal Rising (2007)

Sequel: Hannibal (2001)

The Silence of the Lambs has been sitting somewhere at the bottom of my movie list for a very long time.  I'm usually not the best with horror films, so this was one that I staunchly decided that I would never actually watch, seeing as I had no one to watch it with (ah, excuses, excuses!)  And, up until this point, I didn't even really know what the movie was about!  All I had to go off of was the iconic image of Anthony Hopkins in a straight jacket and bite mask, but since I was unfamiliar with the plot, this meant nothing to me.

So, I finally saw the film thanks to my wonderful roommate's comments of quid pro quo, and attempts to freak me out by telling me about Silence.  I finally decided that it would just be a good idea to see the movie.  I LOVED IT!  It was one of the best movies I've seen in a very long time!  Graphic?  Yes (perhaps too much for me).  Suspenseful?  Yes.  Thrilling?  Yes.  If you're a fan of crime drama or suspense, have a strong stomach, and don't faint at the sight of blood (or Anthony Hopkins), then this is the film for you!

A brief summary is in order: Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) is a young FBI trainee who is trying to track down serial killer "Buffalo Bill," (Ted Levine) who kills his victims and then skins them.  To do so, she must enlist the help of captured serial killer and cannibal Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins).  In return, however, Dr. Lecter requests a quid pro quo: the right to "pick her mind," uncovering painful memories from her childhood.  The question hanging in the air during almost the entire movie: Does Hannibal Lecter know the identity of Buffalo Bill?  And if he does, will he give up the information before yet another victim dies?

I can't recommend this film enough, although I want to warn you that its not for the faint of heart.  There are some pretty nasty scenes in here, but I'd say its worth it to see an amazing performance by Hopkins, Foster, and Levine.  Hopkins was especially memorable as the sophisticated sociopath.  And I'd love to see more of his movies specifically because of this one!

All in all, 10 out of 10 for this film.  And hopefully, the other movies in this series will soon be popping up on this blog, since I had requests from one of my film buff friends that he would like to see the others, too.  (And of course, its always nicer to watch a movie with someone else, even if they do laugh at all the scary scenes and scare you during the suspenseful ones....)

**This movie has 3 bonus features!**

Mickey Blue Eyes (1999)

Cinema Sweetheart's Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Director: Kelly Makin

Starring: Hugh Grant, James Caan, Jeanne Tripplehorn

Rated: PG-13

Genre: Romantic Comedy, Crime

Run Time:102 minutes

Michael Felgate (Grant), an English auctioneer, decides that after three months, he is ready to marry the love of his life, Gina (Tripplehorn), daughter of Mafia leader Frank Vitale (Caan).  Despite his better judgement, Michael allows himself to "help" his soon to be father-in-law with a few small "favors".  And soon, "Mickey Blue Eyes" is in over his head.

This was the first time I've seen a movie that Hugh Grant starred in (although I have seen him in Sense and Sensibility). And I can just say that I'm totally hooked.  I can't believe how sweet, adorable, and FUNNY Hugh Grant was in this film!  He had me laughing until I cried; until my face hurt...and he's so cute, too!

This movie was absolutely hilarious!  Especially once Hugh starts trying to act like a gangster and talk with a "New Yawk" accent. Haha.  A must see for anyone who loves Hugh Grant, Romantic Comedies, or gangster films. :)