The Wolfman.Fifty Shades of Grey.

The Wolfman (2010)

So I really wanted to see this when it originally came out but since my mom is my usual movie companion and she really doesn't like any type of horror movie, I didn't make it to the theater. It was on TV the other night so I automatically set my DVR for it and I'm actually watching it right now. There is about twenty minutes left so I don't actually know how it ends yet. I saw the original The Wolfman (1941) and even though it's really old and they obviously didn't have the type of effects they do now I still thought it was pretty good. I didn't find the original to be scary and I didn't really think the new one was either but it was good nonetheless. The movie stars Benecio Del Toro as the wolfman and he does a very good job. I haven't seen him in a ton of things so I don't have a lot of experience to go on but I know that he's a decent actor and he did a very good job of portraying the mysterious wolfman in this film. Most people probably know what this movie is about but in case you don't here's a quick summary: a man (Del Toro) comes back to his hometown to help search for his missing brother and while there he is bit and falls under the "wolfman" curse. Chaos ensues. The movie is very dark (story and color) so if you're not a fan of that I would think twice about seeing it but it really gives it a good atmosphere. It's not the most exciting movie either but the story and the acting makes up for that. I'd say, check it out!

Fifty Shades of Grey (2011)

Being that I am a huge reader, I had to check out this book because practically everyone was talking about it. Well I finished it about two weeks ago and to be honest, I really didn't see what all the fuss was about. It's considered an erotic novel so it's obviously not going after any literary awards or anything like that, and believe me, the writing is far from great. It's basic at best. The author is obviously not an English scholar and being that I am an English major I have pretty high expectations sometimes. The story itself wasn't all that exciting and the erotic scenes were purely for shock value and they honestly weren't all that shocking. I've read some romance novels (small paperbacks) that were pretty similar to this so I guess the scenes in this didn't really shock me all that much. The whole big craze about this book had to do with the S&M part of it and there wasn't even that much of that in there so I'm not sure what people were making such a big deal about. If you have some spare time and want to hop on The Fifty Shades bandwagon so you can discuss it with your girlfriends then by all means, read it. But don't expect some fantastic piece of literature, it's far from that.

2012.The Uninvited.

2012 (2009)

John Cusack. Yep, another movie I rented because of my love for John Cusack. I'm a big fan of the movie The Day After Tomorrow so I was hoping this was going to be similar. It kind of was but I felt more like it didn't make a ton of sense. It just seemed like the world started going crazy at the beginning but there wasn't really a reason as to why and I'm not a huge in-depth person kind of person but I needed a little more clarification. The special effects were pretty good but it was almost a little too far-fetched. Once they got to the "ark" it was strange because I felt like it was more of a UFO and that it kind of got more sci-fi for my liking. John Cusack did a good job though so that was a plus. If you like the disaster/action type movies then I would suggest this but if you don't really care for that kind of stuff then I would say you should pass.

The Uninvited (2009)

So as you know by now I am a big horror movie buff which is why I rented this and it did not disappoint. It wasn't a fast moving moving and in all honesty it was more of a thriller/mystery movie rather than pure horror but it was supposed to be creepy and it succeeded. The Uninvited is good in that creepy, wait for it kind of way instead of being filled with blood and guts and it really was creepy. The movie focuses on two sisters, one of whom just got released from a mental hospital and how they cope with the death of their mother and their father moving on to a new woman so fast (who has already moved in). As the movie goes along we find out the new girlfriend's intentions aren't so kosher and the girls start to realize that they may be in danger. I don't want to spoil the movie for anyone who hasn't seen it yet but the end has a pretty great twist that I didn't see coming and it really turned the movie around. It's one of those ones that after you watch it and realize what really happened (like Shutter Island) you want to watch it again to see if there are any clues you can pick up. If you like creepy movies then this is for you!

The Descendants. The Ward. Identity. 1408.

The Descendants (2011)

So I've been hearing lots of good things about this movie so after a couple months I finally got it from the library. My mom saw it in theaters and she said it was really good but I didn't really think it looked all that exciting so I opted to not go. Well it didn't have a ton of exciting moments but it was still a good, solid film. The plot is basically centered on George Clooney as a man whose wife has just had an accident and is now in a coma and his relationship with his two daugters who he didn't have much of a relationship with before. While the wife is in the coma Clooney finds out that she has been having an affair and that their mutual friends and his daughter knew about it. I was appalled by the way her friend acted about the whole affair, I really just wanted to slap her. She didn't think the woman was doing anything wrong by having an affair and she didn't want to betray her friend by discussing it with the woman's husband and I just didn't like that. But other than that, it was a good movie. Clooney's relationship with his daugthers improve throughout the film and that was nice to see and he also improves as a person which I think was really the whole point of this movie. It just shows what happens to a family when one of the worst possible things happen and how that family reacts and works together. If you like a good dramatic movie then I would suggest this.

The Ward (2010)

Bad. That's really all there is to say about this movie. As you already know I am a huge horror movie fan and I also usually really like John Carpenter's work (he is after all the mastermind behind one of my favorite horror movies, Halloween) but this was just lame. It didn't make a lot of sense, the parts that were supposed to be scary came off more as laughable and it was a total ripoff of Shutter Island and Identity (side note: if you haven't seen Identity with John Cusack, you should totally rent it). I hate when a movie rips off an idea of something that was recently new and this did just that. This was a waste of time and I would not recommend this at all.

Identity (2003)

Since I mentioned this movie in talking about The Ward I thought I would do a quick review of it. This movie is sweet! I've seen it a couple times and I've got to be honest, the first time I watched it I didn't totally understand it which is why I watched it more than once. I don't want to completely spoil it but basically this movie has an awesome twist at the end (that I didn't see coming, but maybe you will). It stars one of my favorite people, John Cusack and he is just as awesome in this as he is in everything else. This movie is very simliar to Shutter Island but Identity did come first. Identity is one of those movies that keeps you on the edge of your seat and I wouldn't describe it as a horror movie but rather a thriller, and a very good one. I love the twist at the end and watching it twice definitely makes it more understandable.

1408 (2007)

I'm really not sure why, but I am obsessed with this movie. I've seen it numerous times and I still can't get enough. Maybe it's because of John Cusack? Who knows. 1408 is based on a short story by Stephen King (who almost always gets it right) and if you've seen other Stephen King movies (IT, Thinner, Needful Things) this is a lot better. King movies are either really good (Rose Red, The Shining, The Stand, Storm of the Century) or not so good (see above) but I always love to watch them. 1408 is about a writer (Cusack) who writes about haunted hotels and he travels to the Dolphin Hotel to research supposedly haunted room 1408. He is greeted by the manager of the hotel played by Samuel L. Jackson who doesn't want him to enter the room but against his wishes Cusack enters anyway and insanity ensues. The stuff that goes down in that room is crazy and just really brings this movie to a whole new level. It's a horror/thriller/action/mystery movie and I definitely recommed it, it's one of my favorites! I also read the short story and though it wasn't nearly as good as the movie it was stull pretty creepy.