'Dark Shadows' has a great cast and art direction but it fails on the plot.

The film Dark Shadows made more than 260 million worldwide, but even loyal fans of the soap opera TV show know more than that. That Dark Shadows is an incredible disappointment. Johnny Depp portrays Barnabas Collins, a man who had a job working in the fishing business in Collinsport, Maine in 1790: riches, fame, and a true love. But soon, all that fades away when his ex girlfriend, a witch, makes his true love fall off a hill to her death, she curses Barnabas to become a vampire and burying him alive for 200 years. Barnabas soon arises 2 centuries later, and returns home to Collinsport, Maine in 1972. He soon finds out that the witch is still alive and wants Barnabas all to herself. The film does have a Tim Burton-y tone of a dark setting, with some creepy effects, but it is a comedy movie. Since Barnabas is in 1972, there will most likely be music from Barry White in the film. The make-up is pretty cool. Johnny Depp is alright as Barnabas. He came across as being funny more than scary. He could have been more scarier since he is a vampire. The rest of the cast is forgettable sometimes. Eva Green plays the witch, who comes in 1972 as the head of Collinsport, and finds out Barnabas is alive. The art direction was very great. It had a very good period piece. The major problem that made me dislike the film was the plot. The plot is so jumbled up, I don't know where the story is going. The plot made me dislike the film. Even though it had a good cast, and good look and feel, Tim Burton needs a captivating story to hold my attention.

'Huntsman' fails to deliver the full potential

In a twist to the Snow White fairytale, Snow White is locked up in her father's kingdom when the Queen takes over. She escapes and the queen sends a local huntsman and a group to find her and kill her so the Queen can maintain her youth. Instead of killing her, the huntsman becomes her bodyguard to help Snow White vanquish the queen and becoming queen herself. This is the infamous film that sparked the dispute between Robert Pattinson and Kirsten Stewart's breakup and reunion over, because Stewart reportedly had an affair with the director on set. This film is an incredibly disappointment in filmmaking. The film failed to deliver on so many levels. I felt bad for the waste of talent in this film, by all the actors playing the Seven Dwarfs. The Dwarfs don't sing "Hi Ho" at all. It is a very darker tone from the 1939 animated film. Kirsten Stewart cannot act at all. She fails to capture a very emotional princess by being a blank, faceless girl. She shouldn't have been the lead for Snow White. Charlize Theron was the standout in the performances here as the queen who wants to become fairest of them all. She is terrifying at times, but she sometimes overacts a lot. Chris Hems-worth brings a Shakespearean accent in the role of the huntsman who falls for Snow White. The special effects are heavily CGI based. Things like sprites, the trees in the dark forest, and glass breaking when someone gets cut in half don't cut it. Overall, Snow White and the Huntsman is a failure of a motion picture. It fails on its acting, its story, and its mediocre special effects. 2/5

Machine Gun Preacher

Machine Gun Preacher is the true story of Sam Childers (Gerald Butler) who was a ex-convict, drug dealing man who did some pretty illegal things, and hurt a lot of people. He is tired of being like this and finds God, who comes to him in a vision and tells him to help the children in Sudan who are becoming child soldiers. He becomes a spiritual warrior for the Sudanese children and an inspiration for all.

 The story is very good, though at times it gets a bit slow. Gerald Butler gives a very good performance as Childers and he proves that he is an very good actor. Other supporting performances include Michelle Monahan who plays Childers’s wife, who helps him find God, and Michael Shannon as Sam’s friend.

The film is very intense. There are some very disturbing images in the film, not for the faint of heart. If you like inspirational dramas, check this one out

Hugo

  Hugo is a young orphan who works the clock tower in 1930s Paris. His father, before he died, built him an automation, which doesn't work without a key. That's where our story takes place.

I loved this film. It is a movie about early movie history, which some families may find the concept boring, but it is really well-executed.

The acting is excellent. Ben Kingsley should have gotten an Oscar nomination playing the shop owner. Newcomers Asa Butterfield and Chloe Moretz deliver some fine performances for young actors. Jude Law was good in the film even though he was in it for 6 1/2 minutes. The standout for me was Sasha Baron Cohen as the station inspector. What a good performance he gives here.

The music makes you feel like you are in Paris in this time period. The direction style Martin Scorcese takes was very well-done. The cinematography was stellar and fantastic.

If you love learning about movies, check this cinematic masterpiece out!

Stranger Than Fiction

 
 Email: Alex.Hall4063@yahoo.com

Will Ferrell has been known to play comedic, funny guys in films, like Anchorman, Tallegeda Nights, and Step Brothers. But who knew Ferrell had a serious side?

Stranger Than Fiction stars Ferrell as Harold, an IRS agent who discovers that he is the main character in a famous bookseller (Emma Thompson) story. The funny thing is... he can hear everything that she narrates. He falls in love, all leading up to his untimely death.

I went into Stranger Than Fiction expecting it to be a comedy, knowing that Ferrell has been in comedies mostly, never showing a dramatic side, and while it is funny at some times, it is more of a dramedy.. and a great one at that. I really had fun with this film.

Ferrell can really act well in this film. He puts on a captivating performance. You really react to his emotions in the film. He delivers some funny and touching lines. The rest of the cast is good. Thompson and Queen Latifah have some good chemistry, and so do Ferrell and Maggie Gyllandel. Dustin Hoffman is the standout for me. He does a funny job playing the psycharist that Harold goes to.

The film was really great, with one of Ferrell's best performances, some great directing by Marc Forster, and some good chemistry between the actors.

Wall-E

Email: Alex.Hall4063@yahoo.com
Website: WWW.TheQuirkyCriticReviews.blogspot

A robot who collects waste after Earth has been deserted goes on an inter space adventure...

I really enjoyed this film. It had a good love story and some good chemistry, even though they are robots. The animation was fantastic. Some of Pixar's best.

The voice work is good, considering most of the voices are talking robots who make beep sonnds. Jeff Garlin was pretty decent as the commander.

It was a great film, despite the fact that it wasn't one of Pixar's best. It also had a good message, about going green and protecting our environment.