CrystalsBonusAndReviews

This movie is absolutely hootingly good! The 3D is the best since “Avatar!” The story is beautifully told. The animation is amazing and the 3D effect only enhances it. The scenes where the owls are flying show their feathers blowing in the wind as they soar through the sky. You feel as though you are flying with them. The attention to detail is apparent in every scene. With the voice talents of Helen Mirren as Nyra Queen of the Pure Ones, Anthony LaPaglia as Twilight a poetic owl and Jim Sturgess as Soren the young owl who believed this movie has something for everyone.

All of his young life Soren had heard stories of the Guardians who saved the owls in a great battle. He always believed that the Guardians were real and not some made up stories. He and his brother sneak out past their curfew and are captured by evil owls calling themselves the Pure Ones. They take the young owls to a secret location far from their home. Soren meets Gylfie another owlet snatched from her home. The two become friends and they look out for each other.

They manage to avoid being brain washed by the pure ones and they discover that not all the pure ones are evil. They learn how to fly so they can escape and find the Guardians to come and fight the pure ones. This sends Soren and Gylfie on a magnificent adventure. Young and old alike will love this movie. It deserves 5 out of 5 popcorn bags.

Michael Douglas reprises his ruthless role as money man Gordon Gekko.  Shia LeBeouf  plays Jake Moore and Carey Mulligan plays Gordon’s daughter Winnie Gekko, who is also Jake’s girlfriend.  Jake totally admires Gordon and he wants to learn from him. His other mentor is his boss Lou Zabel  played by Frank Langella. Usually there is a villain and Josh Brolin plays the ruthless   Bretton James who destroys Jake’s firm owned by Lou Zabel. This leads to Lou’s demise and Jake’s vendetta against Bretton James.  This movie also very enlightening because the scene where Gordon is giving a lecture reveals a lot of financial information that pertains to the economy today.

Director Oliver Stone does a good job capturing the essence of Wall Street. Gekko is definitely a guy you love to hate. Michael Douglas truly delivers. It would have been better if there were more scenes with Douglas instead of the movie centering around Shia LeBeouf’s character.  Although, it is nice to see Gordon building a relationship with his daughter. Prison did one thing for Gordon Gekko and that was give him time to think and he had a lot of time to do just that.

Under the direction of Oliver Stone all the actors deliver good performances.  This movie deserves 4 out of 5 popcorn bags.

Ben Affleck delivers a good performance as Doug MacRay. This movie was co-written and directed by Ben Affleck. Under his direction the other actors deliver good performances as well. Jeremy Renner plays James Coughlin Doug’s best friend and partner in crime. They are professional bank robbers. The bank robbery scene is done so smooth. Everything is meticulously done down to every detail. During the bank robbery they take the branch manager Claire Keesey hostage played by Rebecca Hall.  They let her go but not before James takes her driver’s license and threatens her so she won’t talk. He plans to later go after her and silence her for good. Doug is against it and formulates his own plan.

Doug takes her license from James and begins to stalk Claire. He sets it up so that he meets her and befriends her. They strike up a friendship and they eventually fall for each other.  Claire not knowing his true identity confides in him about the bank robbery. She tells him what she remembers and what she has told the FBI about the robbers. Since she was blind folded she didn’t see their faces. Doug thinks that it is safe to leave Claire alone. So he convinces James that she is not a threat.

Doug wants to change his life and make an honest life with Claire. James is not so thrilled with this idea and he tries to talk him out of it. Doug is determined to start a life with Claire., but it’s hard to escape the grip of the town. This movie is intense and very well acted. It deserves 4 out of 5 popcorn bags.

Emma Stone shines as Olive Penderghast! This is a new spin on “The Scarlet Letter.”Olive is a typical High School teenager.  She really doesn’t care what other people think. Olive does however have a soft spot for others, especially those being treated as outcasts for whatever the reason be it sexuality or overall appearance. Her best friend is Rhiannon played by Alyson Michalka. Amanda Bynes plays Mary Anne a religious fanatic. It is her mission to bring religion to the school, but her tactics are a bit under handed and extreme. The guy Olive loves is Todd played by Penn Badgley. Todd was the first recipient of Olive’s kindness. When they were kids they were dared to kiss at a party. Nothing happened but at Todd’s request Olive said that they kissed. Todd’s reputation was saved.

Olive gets herself in a mess by doing something all people do. She lied to her best friend about losing her virginity. The mistake she made was to not check the bathroom to make sure they were alone. Mary Anne heard their whole conversation and told the school. Once the rumo got started it grew out of control. Luckily Olive has a great support system. Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson play her parents. They are the coolest parents on the planet and they have a great relationship with their daughter.

Olive decides that if everyone thinks she’s a slut than she might as well act like one. The scene where she transforms her wardrobe and puts a scarlet “A” on her clothes is intense because it shows the determination on her face. She also uses this rumor to her advantage by charging guys to say that they did her.  Olive soon finds that you can’t help everybody because not everybody is going to return the favor. This movie deserves 5 out of 5 popcorn bags.

Danny Trejo is Machete! This movie is slicarific! It has everything humor, action and more action! Under the direction of Robert Rodriguez and Ethan Maniquis this all star cast delivers an all star performance. It is good to see Michelle Rodriguez back on the big screen. She plays the character Luz and she gives an action packed performance.  Steven Seagal also returns to the big screen as the ruthless drug lord Torrez.  Jessica Alba plays the immigration officer Santana. Robert De Niro plays Senator McLaughlin a corrupt Senator that wants to build an elitrified fence around the Mexican Border to keep immigrants out of Texas.

The story basically is about an illegal immigrant and ex-federale cop Machete and how he leads a revolution for change in the treatment of Mexican immigrants. In his quest he suffered many losses on the way like the murder of his family. His wife was beheaded right in front of him. This image haunts him every day. For this he wants his revenge against Torrez. Machete joins a network which consists of people that don’t agree with the immigration laws, so they help immigrants to make it across the border and they hep them to make a new life in America.

The special effects in this movie are awesome! The scene where Machete slices off body parts, chops off heads and stabs people look real. The scene where Machete grabs this hit man’s intestines from his insides and uses it as a rope is so realistic and very thrilling to watch. This movie draws you in from beginning to end. There are even some funny moments in this film like the scene where Machete is texting. Danny Trejo takes this role and owns it! He is Machete! It deserves 4 out of 5 popcorn bags.