When I first heard of this film and who the starring character was, I thought: there is no way in hell this going to work. This though was mainly due to the fact that the main character, a humble dog catcher named Walter Sparrow, was played by the enthusiastic and hilarious Jim Carrey.  Never in a million years would have thought the guy who starred in The Mask back in the mid-90's, was same man who played a disturbed, twisted character in The Number 23.  However, despite this notion in my mind that there was no way Carrey could pull this role off, I was intrigued by the overall concept that a simple number could be related to so many horrible events such as the bombing of Hiroshima and the day Ted Bundy was executed.  So, with all of this in mind, I went into the film expecting a semi-decent thriller, with sub-par acting from Jim Carrey playing a serious role for the first time.  Boy was I wrong. I cam out of that film feeling a sense of creepy paranoia that the number was all around me and if even began to start adding the numbers of my birth date it would inevitably equal the dreaded number 23(which it did ironically).  OK, maybe I wasn't that freaked out, but I still came away from it feeling like I just watched not only a decent thriller, but a pinnacle moment in Jim Carrey's career as a superb actor.

Decent parodies have been few and far between the last couple of years.  Sure the first two Scary Movie's were awesome but after that, they ditched the R rating which resulted in less mature humor and was instead replaced by stupid puns and slap stick humor which turned the series into a lackluster comedic performance as opposed to laugh out loud, raunchy jokes of its former self.  So it is with some pleasure that I was able to see an actually decent parody that didn't have the R rating which is really the backbone of most parodies these days.  Instead what you have is a mostly funny, drawn parody based on the Star Wars franchise, which is filled with tons of sexual innuendos and puns which are sometimes hit or miss depending on the situation.

Before seeing The Birds for the first time, I, like most people, had seen the original Psycho, which is not only one Hitchcock's best films, but was also one of the best horror movies of all time because of its innovation in how it scared with psychological horror as opposed to just a simple slasher which doesn't really have the same impact as a film that messes with your head.  A couple of years after this cult classic was released, Hitchcock decided to in a new direction by using animals as the ultimate scare factor instead of the twisted and schizophrenic Norman Bates.  Now, while admit that the idea of birds on a mass scale attacking everyone in sight is a compelling idea, since there are birds literally everywhere you look, which in reality could be pretty catastrophic if such an incident were to occur in reality.  However, unlike Psycho, which seemed based more so in reality, as a character like Norman Bates could actually be a real person, since schizophrenia is still a well known mental disorder, the film could still be viewed today and retain that same psychological thrill that most people would experience when the though of ever crossing a mentally disturbed person enters their minds.  Whereas with The Birds, its hard to really be scared of something that in reality is an unintelligent, and incapable of being able to organize a mass attack on the human race.  Now that may sound a little overcritical, but even so the whole thought of birds being hostile is a little hostile.  However, thats to say this film isn't just a random mish mash of birds just attacking humans out of nowhere.  The story behind is actually well put together and does an adequate job of drawing you into the world of The Birds.  In a nutshell, the story follows the main character and heroine Annie Hayworth(Suzanne Pleshette), who is a rich, charismatic woman who is supported and spoiled by her rich father who owns several newspapers throughout the city of San Francisco.  So, from the immediate outset, its hard to initially like Annie, much less believe her to be the heroine of the film because of her inability to support herself, and the way she carries her self as "I'm a rich bitch and if you don't like you can get out of my way."  However, this perspective changes pretty quickly once she meets her potential love interest Mitch Brenner (Rod Taylor).  While in the beginning it doesn't seem like this relationship can work out simply because Annie is a high maintenance woman who gets what she wants when she wants it, whereas Mitch is a much more simple, and caring fellow who is defense attorney at a law firm in San Francisco.  Eventually though, it becomes more and more obvious that these two characters actually more compatible than first though because of Mitch's laid back personality which brings a more caring, and understanding side to Annie which shows just how well rounded a person can become simply by meeting someone who understands them.  The acting from these two characters is pretty spot on with each character playing off these others personality traits which makes the whole experience a little bit more believable and engaging as oppose to if the characters hated each other form start to finish.  From the cinematography side, it is definitely quite a spectacular film to view because of its now dated but back then mind bowing special effects, and well placed camera angles which really draw you in to this insane reality of killer birds.  On the story side, the script is fairly well written, and lines are delivered pretty well, except from Mitch Brenners younger sister, who is necessary to keep the film emotional and heart wrenching, especially when she witnesses the death of her school teacher.  Really though, I found her a bit annoying at times especially when Annie and Mitch are attempting to bond and she just comes out of nowhere and interrupts them.  Besides this minor annoyance  though, the characters as a whole deliver solid dialogue which really makes the whole "killer birds" thing, somewhat engrossing.  With that said though, what really hurts this movie the most is its ending.  I won't give anything away for those who haven't seen it, but I will say that it is anticlimactic and doesn't really do what is a solid film justice.  Still though, there are a lot of thrills to be had in The Birds, some of which are few and far between but when they occur are quite in their scale and in the terror they can induce to someone who isn't a fan of thrillers.  So, of your a fan of Hitchcock's classic films, this certainly another one that you should see.  While it doesn't compare to the scares and superb storytelling psycho, its still easy to see how Hitchcock is the master of the Thriller genre.  4/5

Sorry I haven't been on in a while... just been busy between getting home for college and hanging out with the family.  its been a couple days since i've put up anyhting...reviews or a blog for that matter.  However, I hope to rectify that, with a brief blog of what i've been doing and what's to come as far as reviews are concerned:

When ever you hear the word classic in reference to a film, you often think of a particular movie that revolutionized the way movies were made and set the standard for what all films should follow in order to receive the attention that all directors desire when crafting a masterpiece.  Which is probably why when ever the word "classic" comes up, you're mind automatically thinks of one film out of all the others: Citizen Kane.  It is with good reason that this film is still so widely respected, even after being around for more than 6 decades.  Everything in this film just screams revolutionary between its masterful cinematography (you can actually see the ceiling) to the stellar acting from the all of key players especially that of Orson Welles who was not only Charles Kane himself, but also directed and wrote the script for this masterpiece.  it tells the story of a once famous and respected newspaper tycoon, Charles Kane, who recently dies at the beginning of the film due to old age.  However, before succumbing to his death, he is able to mutter one final word before his lifeless body hits the floor: "rosebud".  This word is the motivation for a young reporter named Thompson (William Alland), to try and discover the what Kane might have been referring to when he uttered that final word which sealed his fate.  However, the word itself doesn't play a huge role in how the story is told, but is used rather as a way to tie everything up in the end in one neat little bow that brings everything back to present and answers most of the questions that were formed in the beginning of the film.  The main focus of the film, remains on Kane himself and his life, from a young, in genius owner of several newspapers which bring him wealth and happiness, to old, miserable, money hungry fiend who ends up losing everything because of his inability to realize the pain he caused to those around him.  Of course, its not always as simple as that, with some controversy in between after the divorce and untimely death of his first wife, which seems to state that Kane is hiding more than he wants people to know of him.  In the end, though Kane does suffer for his greedy and lackadaisical actions, but in a way that is not only extremely satisfying, but also in its realism and how the characters interact with each other truely make the ending and the entire film gripping from beginning to end.  So, while some things may be out of date in this film(certain background layouts), it never really pulls you out of the experience.  in fact it immerses you even more in the epic tale because of how Orson Welles was able to craft such a memorable story with such primitive tools that used to his advantage and easily out do any CG effects in terms of realism and design.  As result, Orson Welles created a timeless classic that no one should miss out on, simply on the grounds that it was one of the most unbelievable, and gripping tales of the decade, and even of the entire century.  5/5 

Martin Scorsese is man who knows how and when to put out a twisted film that is able to capture the minds of everyone who views it.  Between recent success of the The Departed, to the 1990 classic Goodfellas Scorsese has definitely built himself a reputation on making movies that have psychological effects on the characters who are involved in them.  However, while these movies were great in their own right, one of his earlier, Taxi Driver, really helped me find a new kind of respect for this man and how even when he was just getting started, he never failed to create an epic psychological film that really helped his audience view society in a totally different manner.  The film stars the young Robert Deniro as Travis Bickle, a young, mentally unstable Vietnam War vet who works as a nighttime time taxi driver.  From the moment Deniro appears on the screen we find ourselves a deeply disturbed, discharged marine who is still dealing with the memories of a bloody war, who's only comfort is to drive around in his taxi, day in and day out trying to find a purpose in life.  Well, he does find that purpose, but not the way most people would.  He comes to this realization when a recent date goes sour with his recent friend Betsy (Cybill Shepherd) who leaves him because he takes her to a pornographic film.  Now from our perspective, this makes perfect sense, but in the twisted mind of Travis it just shows him how society has become fucked up and no one really gives a damn about anyone else anymore.  From the there, the issues continue to the pile up, between the eerily disturbing man in the backseat of his cab who tells him how he plans to assassinate his wife, to the drunk couple who have sex in his cab while he's taking them to their destination.  All of this, drives Travis to the brink of near insanity, which forces him to become somewhat of a vigilante, although one that maybe takes a little much enjoyment of carrying a loaded weapon.  It only gets crazier from their, with Travis arming himself to the brim firepower, and even giving himself a mohawk hairstyle to show his rebellion against the society in which he lives in.  Eventually, we find him taking a down a small prostitution ring, which is home to one of his desperate friends Iris, who is played by the talented Jodie Foster.  He doesn't waste anytime either, after he shoots the pimp its all guns blazing, with Travis getting hit several times, none of which seem to actually hurt him but rather make him aware that their are still more chumps to kill.  Eventually the killing stops, but not before several dudes are taken out ruthlessly.  Between fingers being blown off, unloaded clips into lifeless bodies, and even Travis' brutal shot to the neck which he somehow manages to survive, it all makes for a truly sadistic and gritty experience which really hits the point home of crazy society can become when someone is pushed over the edge.  Between this, and the twisted tale that leads up to the somewhat expected conclusions, its hard to find much fault with this film.  Acting is stellar from all of the main characters, the writing is superb, especially with the well known line "are you talkin to me?"  Even the washed up city of New york plays a huge role in how the characters interact with each other and really shows you how messed up society can get when its left up to its own devices.  So, in the end, Scorsese scores huge with this twisted, psychological drama that'll keep you hooked from its subtle beginning to hits action packed end.  5/5 Also wanted to make a HUGE SHOUT OUT TO MY GF ARIEL! THANKS FOR SHOWING ME THIS MOVIE BABE, ONE HELLUVA PICK!!!;)

In world that is filled with crappy comedies such as You Don't Mess with the Zohan and The Love Guru, its nice to see that an older comedy such as Airplane can still be hilarious to this day even after its been around for almost three decades.  Airplane at its core is mainly one large spoof on everything in pop culture from famous commercials, to movies that were popular back in the day such as Saturday Night Fever.  While the movie does have a story line that follows the love sick Ted Striker (Robert Hays), as he attempts to get the woman of his life back all the while trying to combat his phobia of flying which was brought on by the vietnam war when he was in the air force.  Its cheesy, but for all intensive purposes, it actually works to the movies advantage.  With puns and sexual innuendos galore, its easy to see why the directors picked such a cheesy story to poke fun at;  I mean airplane food poisoning half passengers, resulting in Stryker himself having to fly the airplane to safety...come on.  But again, it all comebacks to the characters and the numerous puns which keep the that story much more entertaining and engaging than it should be.  This is in part due to the outrageous characters such as Dr. Rumack (Leslie Nielsen)  who has countless comedic lines such as "I am serious....and don't call me Shirley."  That being said though, the movie does have a couple of down sides particularly in some of the references to older forms of pop culture.  Now I know this movie was made in 1980, but it would have been nice if the directors could have provided some info beforehand instead of younger viewers(such as myself)  trying to figure out why this particular character said what they said.  Even with these minor faults, its hard not be captured in the hilarious and the overly cliche story that is Airplane.  So, if you're looking for a comedy that has countless puns and sexual references, combined with hilarious acting and excellent writing , there is just simply no way you could go wrong with Airplane.      4.5/5.0

In just 2 more days, I will finally have Left 4 Dead in my possession.  Soon I will be annihilating wave after wave of the Infected, all the while covering my companions as they do the same.  You can't just run into a horde of zombies with a shotgun and expect an easy killing spree.  No, in this game you must utilize your  teammates any way you can, be it providing them with health after being severely injured, or assisting them when they are pinned down by the infected so as to spare them the gruesome transformation of becoming a flesh eating predator.  Hopefully, this mechanic will be used to its fullest, and in turn provide a high replay value which will keep players coming back to not only play their favorite levels again and again but to try and out do their last run through by picking a more challenging difficulty, which will make teamwork a necessity in order to survive.  Until the day comes when I can finally live out my Dawn of the Dead fantasies, I will have to be content with pondering the creepiness and suspense of the oncoming infected as they move in to satisfy their hunger.

Ever since the release of Rock Band 2 back in mid september, the video game community has been literally bombarded with tons of stellar games.  Between survival horror stand outs like Silent Hill: Homecoming and Dead Space, to epic, free roaming, story driven titles like Fallout 3 and Fable 2.  With all these games and so many others in between its so hard to decide which to add my ever spanning collection, and which to leave by the wayside until the summer drought is upon us.  In honor of these great titles, i've composed a top ten list of the games that I want the most this holiday season, starting from 10 and working my way up to my number 1 most desired game.  So, without further adieu here is the aforementioned list.

After the countless number of crappy RTS ports to consoles, its time for a change in this genre that will finally make it a viable force in console gaming.  I believe that change has finally come in the form of Tom Clancy' s END WAR.  In a nutshell, this game looks to make the controlling your individual squads much more manageable with streamlined controls which should make the game a much more immersive experience than its older counterparts.  Not only that, but you also have the option of using actual voice commands to move your troops from point A to point B.  This works surprisingly well, with each squad given its name and squad number which when said along with a specific order such as "attack the enemy tanks" makes giving orders a breeze, though I would imagine that this will take a little getting used to.  Nevertheless, End War appears to be doing everything right, unlike other games in its genre, which have been met with broken control schemes and even worse gameplay mechanics.  End War looks to change all of that once it finally reaches the hands of eager consumers.

I've always been an avid hockey player.  Ever since middle school, I always enjoyed the thrill of going down the ice, with my sturdy wooden stick clenched tightly in both of my shaking, little hands, all the while controlling  a small, black puck with players coming at me from all sides trying to steal away the gaming winning goal.  I've always looked for this type of experience in a video game, but sadly, over the past couple years hockey games have become known for their sticky controls, and poor player animations which made playing a hockey game almost unthinkable.  That is until I saw NHL 09 for the first time.  From the fluid movement of each individual character, to the realistic cries of approval from the crowd as you scored the game winning goal, i knew that this game was unlike any other sports game I had encountered.  Between that and the truly epic Be A Pro Mode, which allows you to take your created character and play them through a local league, all the way up to the pros, with rewards for having so many goals and assists.  Once I finally get my hands on this jewel, I'll truly get as close as I can to ever playing in the NHL.  Until then, I'll have to be content with viewing these impressive screenshots.

Ever since the disappointment that was Peter Molyneux's Fable, I've been extremely skeptical of how this game would improve on what its older counterpart failed to live up to.  Well after reading several reviews, and marveling at these gorgeous screenshots, I have to say that this game has finally gotten me excited for a change.  Between having a truly life long campion in the form of a loyal hound, to the ability to have three marriage partners at the same time (both men and women), all of which you can have protected or unprotected sex with should you desire to have a household of little you's, or to be the most STD invested hero in the land.  These, and many other options appear to abound in Fable 2, and with promises that seem to be true this time around, its hard to go wrong with what this game is capable of.

After playing the decent console port of the first game, i have to say I was little underwhelmed by the games linear style, and outrageous story.  However, this time around, Ubisoft looks to improve on all of its faults with the stunning Far Cry 2.  No longer are you forced down a seemingly endless path of the luscious trees and deformed mutants.  Instead your journey takes place in the wide expanses of Africa, as any of the eight mercenaries you take to you're liking.  Missions can be completed in any order, and can be approached from any angle or attack style that you desire.  Also, the graphics have gone through a massive upgrade, with fire looking absolutely stunning as it burns through the African Savannah.  Finally, instead of just losing health when you get shot, you have the ability to manually heal your self by taking pliers and actually yanking the bullet out your wounded body to recover health.  I don't know about you, but with all these features combined with a huge environment to explore, its hard not to be enthusiastic about this game.

After putting hours upon hours into the last game in the series, its hard not to be excited about what this game is going to deliver in terms of multiplayer.  While it looks to be simply COD 4 done WWII style, it also adds something a little bit special which helps tell it apart from it older cousin.  First of all, its got vehicle combat, which was one of the minor essentials that was missing from last years title.  Also, the game has a wide variety of historical weaponry from the classic Thompson machine gun, to the newly introduced flamethrower, which seems to make dousing someone in flames particularly engaing.  Combine that with a strong multiplayer influence from the last game and a truely epic campaign which you can play alone or with a friend, and you got your self one helluva good game.

I've always been slightly interested in the Prince of Persia series, but for some reason I always find myself avoiding it and instead picking up another game which is not nearly as innovative.  But now, after seeing the new direction the series is taking, I have to say that this will finally be the time when I actually pick up one of these games.  Between new, cel-shaded and colorful art style, to its new climbing mechanics which seem very representative of what you could do in last years hit Assassin's Creed.  Also, instead fighting multiple enemies at once, you will find you're self facing only one enemy at a time in a more epic battle as opposed to several enemies that are easy to take down in one or two hits.  Finally, instead of fighting alone, you will have a partner and potential love interest to help you fight some of the tougher badies and scale certain obstacles which you couldn't do on your own.  This new, original new direction appears to be what the doctor ordered, and should prove quite immersive when it releases this december.

After the huge impact the first game had on the world back when it was originally released in November of 2006, it was hard not to get pumped for the next game in the series when it was revealed earlier this year.  While I did expect a sequel and huge amount hype to be behind this game, i didn't expect it to improve on all of the things it faltered on last year.  This time around, the story looks to be much more epic and emotional than in the last game, with Marcus Fenix and Delta squad attempting to hold off the horde as they approach their last home city.  Also, the game sports much larger locals and the scale of the battles look to be much larger in size as opposed to in the last game where you battles were only with a few enemies at a time.  Multiplayer looks to be much improved over last year, with a new mode called Horde, where you and up to 4 other friends take on wave after wave of oncoming enemies, each harder than the last.  With that comes more original maps, and enhanced versions of some familiar ones from the last game.  With all this stuff being put into one game, there isn't any doubt in my mind that Gear of War 2 will keep me hooked for a very long time 

Ever since Valve released Half-life back in 1998, they have been known for creating one of most gripping and immersive stories, that has ever been in a shooter.  Well, this time around story is taking a back seat to thousands of flesh eating zombies, and group of survivors who are constantly on the run from the mindless carnivores.  What makes this game different from all of the other, "shoot everything in sight" games, is the emphasis on teamwork.  For example if a comrade is being pined by a zombie and is unable to help themselves it is your mission to save them so they may return the favor for you.  Or say you partner is low on health and needs a med pack or risks certain death.  Do you give it to them or do you keep it for yourself?  Decisions like these turn a mindless shooter into a much immersive experience which requires you to watch out for yourself and for those around ou in hopes of escaping the infected city alive.  As said before, there doesn't seem to be much in the way of an engaging story, but in a game where you shoot wave after wave of the starving infected...how much story do you need?  In any case, this game looks to have almost limitless amounts of enjoyment between its intense single player campaign and its engaging cooperative multiplayer which should keep you hooked for months to come.

What has been said about this game that hasn't already been said.  Its got a huge world to explore, memorable characters to interact with, a huge array of weapons to create and find, hundreds of exploding bodies, and seamlessly limitless ways to customize your character.  Combine that with and epic story, which probably spans over 20 hours in the main quests alone, and you've got an almost perfect game which will keep you occupied for months and months to come.  Having said that though, I'm going to wait a couple of months before a pick this game up; because I know that once I start playing this highly anticipated game, that I won't be able to stop unless someone pries my cold dead fingers off of the controller.