I caught a matinee viewing of Inception this morning for the opening, and yes, it lives up to all the hype it has received. I can easily say it's the best movie I've watched in the last 5 years, if not more. I could easily go through the entire plot of the film without revealing too many spoilers, because A) it might not make any sense at first and B) you just have to see how Nolan masterfully intertwines all these sub-conscious realities together so seamlessly.

The storyline for Inception manages to toy with your own conscious/sub-conscious mind that leaves you questioning your own state of being; yes, somewhat like the original Matrix, which I imagine this will draw lots of comparisons to. Maybe I'm still on that movie "high", but I think Inception is even better. There's everything in this film that I go to movies for: thrills, philosophy, ambition, love, a smattering of gratuitous violence and most importantly, real thought. Next time you have a dream, you might think of Inception ... I know I will.

Honestly, I was coming into this movie expecting to dismiss the hype around it and call it another blockbuster film with no heart. Personally, I can't stand these over-budgeted movies that have come out recently, namely anything Michael Bay touches (Transformers), 2012 and almost every single superhero movie over the last five years (yes, counting Dark Knight). But this movie is just unreal, the visuals literally blew me away and I would watch again and again just to admire it all. Beautiful CGI aside, the characters are believable, deep and involved, which is all than I can ask in an action film of this magnitude. Here's hoping a sequel will be underway in a few years.

As a huge fan of Danny Boyle's work, I had to watch Slumdog Millionaire even though it didn't fit the mold of any of his previous work (just as 28 Days wasn't anything like Trainspotting). If you want to catch a glimpse of what a slum in India really looks like, watch this film. Even though the movie overall is beautifully shot, Boyle never hides the grittiness of streets of Mumbai and you really get the sense of a struggle in a nation peaking well over 1 billion in population. The plot has its charm, and just a warning to those who hate those perfectly rounded endings...this has one, but you can see it coming and it doesn't compromise the rest of the film. You get it all with this movie, humor, romance and some pretty good actions scenes that, to me, resemble a lot in City of God which is a very good thing. Just fantastic cinematography throughout to match a feel-good story.

Sure, we've seen a few other zombie movies pop up over the past few years, but that won't stop "I Am Legend" from being a quality movie to add to that bunch. I personally liked watching Will Smith work his way throughout the film as the isolated human in a bleak landscape, he did a good job being alone and onscreen for a majority of the movie with one kick-ass dog sidekick. You could hear a pin drop for most of film, which made things even more tense. I like to think of this movie as a mix of two of my other favorite horror movies in recent memory, 28 Days Later (environment, subject matter) and The Descent (the creatures). Recommended for anyone who enjoyed those two.

Great acting, great storyline and probably most notable, best soundtrack ever (virtually no music and long periods of silence, I love it!). This makes for a real tense watch and it fits the film perfectly. The film, which is based off a novel of the same name from 2005, does a great job staying true to almost every part of the book, including the ending who may upset or confuse some (ala Sopranos finale'). Javier Bardem plays such a great role as villian, and yet with some added humor here and there. If his character (Chigurh) doesn't creep you out, I'm not sure what will. There are slight traces of humor throughout the movie, but it's done in a classic subtle way. Josh Brolin keeps the movie rolling as we follow him throughout with his portrayal of a hunter who's stumbled upon another world/lifestyle. Surprisingly, this was my first Coen brothers movie and I can't wait to see some of their older films after watching this classic film. I predict lots of Oscar buzz for this one.

I haven't written a review in a while, but felt compelled to for Eastern Promises, a film I had no knowledge about before heading into the theater last night. In fact, the only reason my girlfriend and I watched it last night was because the theater complex was being renovated and only had 3 movies playing on a Friday night! After the first half hour, I noticed the big named stars, Viggo Mortensen as a convincing Russian driver/gangster speaking in a perfect accent. Cue in Naomi Watts in another solid, though not particularly spectacular portrayal as a concerned hospital worker trying to figure out the story behind a raped girl's sudden death.

If you've read anything about this movie so far, you'll probably read that it has a twist at the end that left some viewers confused or even upset. To me, the twist was minimal to the storyline and really had no impact to me as far as how I viewed the first three-quarters of the film. I could deal with or without it since I really felt like the movie would be great regardless.

Another small tidbit I realized after the film was over was that David Cronenberg directed. His last film, A History of Violence, left a real bad taste in my mouth and I couldn't understand why so many critics raved about how great it was. Eastern Promises, however lived up to any preconceived expectations and I'll certainly recommend this film to any fan of a good crime drama.

Comparison: The Departed with better acting and one of the most memorable fight scenes in film history.

When I first arrived to the theater, I came in thinking Pan's Labyrinth was more a fantasy film than anything else. After the film ended, I wasn't sure how I felt about it. After thinking more about the film (a reason why I think the film works - it forced me to really think about the outcome) it was clear that it was more than just a fantasy film. Pan's Labyrinth found a way to balance a story between fantasy and reality that forces the viewer to imagine what life in war is like, and how everyone involved must deal with the situations in their own way.

The story puts all of the major characters in a situation where they are each trying to achieve their own goals, even the villain. It is a classic story, told and re-told through different mythology and fairy tales in many different cultures. The director's achievement is that it is a totally original story which brings together elements of fantasy and reality to make us reflect on our own lives.

Overall, the movie was very well made, but not for everyone. I believe many expected it to be purely fantasy or perhaps even horror, but this movie transcends all genre's and is unlike any other we've seen in a long time.

First off, I loved Season 1 so let me set that straight. I was hooked on LOST until around the middle of the Season 2, when I realized the writers were stretching this story as long as they could and stringing the viewers along with their melodramatic cut scenes. Is it just me or does everyone else see that all of the main characters just do not act real anymore? How did one of the best shows turn into such a mediocre drama with really bad dialogue? Here are your typical characters in Lost:

---------------------------

Jack: I YELL. A LOT. IN FACT, I HARDLY HAVE ANY LINES THAT AREN'T YELLING.
Sawyer: Hehe! I'm the sexy mystery! Do I love Kate? who knows!
Kate: Blah blah blah, I love Sawyer, no I don't, yes I do, no, I love Jack, wait let me think about my past as a fugitive AGAIN.
Locke (to Hurley): I need you to go to the camp, gather all the weapons, put on a dress and meet me at the hatch.
Hurley: Dude, why? Dude..
Sayid: I think I can build a rocket to get out of here, just get me some island twigs, a toilet paper roll and two sea cucumbers.
Sun (about Jin): He's so controlling sometimes, but I think I love it!
Jin: *says something in broken Korean*

The rest of the cast: Sorry, we aren't really part of the show anymore.

A friend rented this for us to watch one bored weeknight, I had my doubts since I am not a huge Kevin Smith fan. I never watched the original Clerks, but this movie had me laughing throughout. Some good references to some of my favorite movies and had a pretty kickass soundtrack (listen for Q Lazzarus' "Goodbye Horses" classic song during one hilarious scene). I've read others call this Smith's "softest" film to date, but hey, I enjoyed it. Recommended for a good laugh without too much thinking.

I really had high expectations for this movie, but it really failed me. I thought the concept was good, but it wasn't written very well and far too predictable. It contains some of the cheesiest movies scenes in recent memory (see son's high school scenes, William Hurt entrance at the end). I still don't get why people like this movie. Overall, its anticlimactic finale left me with a bad taste and sorry that I had wasted two hours watching this mess.