Previous Queue

Haven't been able to go out and see some of the movies I want to in theatres but here's what I've been watching at home.

Brick (2005)- Brick was a very intriguing and unique film. Going in, I was not quite sure what to expect out of it. It is about a high school boy, Brendan (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), who will stop at nothing to investigate the vanishing of his ex-girlfriend Emily (Emilie de Ravin). Brendan is a loner but to get to the bottom of the case at hand he must get involved with all the social cliques in his school. Throughout the movie there is a very bizarre vibe; I can't really explain it. However the movie is fun to follow and unravels in a very interesting manner. Brendan is a fascinating character who cares about certain things a lot and is not afraid to stand up for these things. By the end we see the deep nature of all that happens. A good movie; 3 stars.

Good Night, and Good Luck (2005)- George Clooney writes, directs and acts in a wonderful docudrama. The film is based on the events during the cold war that occurred with the CBS news network. Newsman Edward R. Murrow (superb performance by David Strathairn) will not back down to fight against the propaganda of Sen. Joseph McCarthy who was accusing many Americans of being linked to communism. Nobody else was willing to debate McCarthy because they were afraid of being accused of being communists. Murrow and his news team had justice on their minds and stepped up to the plate on the issue. The movie takes you back in time as it it is completely in black and white; an interesting touch. Overall the entire cast was wonderful. The politics within CBS's walls reminded me of the movie Network, which was a film I loved. Good Night, and Good Luck is a great movie and also teaches a lot about the time period. 3 1/2 stars.

Half Nelson (2006)- To me, Half Nelson is a movie that was targeted to portray human feelings and psychology as opposed to a good plot. Ryan Gosling is tremendous playing an inner-city school teacher, Dan Dunne. In the classroom Mr. Dunne inspires his eighth grade history classes with interesting and heartfelt lectures and discussions.What Dunne preaches in the classroom does not show in his life outside of it. Dunne has a very severe drug addiction. After one of his students, a girl named Drey (Shareeka Epps), sees him smoking crack in the school bathroom the two of them develop a very close relationship. Drey, is able to understand and somewhat relate with her teacher's frustrations with life. The connection between the white, drug addicted school teacher and the hard on the edges, soft on the inside, inner city student is a very captivating one. The things I didn't love about the movie were the lack of action as well as the "so what" ending. I give it a high 3 stars (approaching 3 1/2) for its acting and ability to reach out to every individual who watches it.