Movie 1 of 2009: The Strangers

Movie Description:

The horrifying events that took place in
the Hoyt family's vacation home at 1801 Clark Road on February 11,
2005, are still not entirely known. Champagne. Rose petals.
Candlelight. It was supposed to be a night of celebration for Kristen
McKay (Liv Tyler) and James Hoyt (Scott Speedman). But after leaving a
friend's wedding reception and returning to the house, everything had
collapsed for the happy couple. Then came a 4 a.m. knock on the door
and a haunting voice.



Is Tamara here?



Writer/director Bryan Bertino explores our most universal fears in The
Strangers, a terrifying suspense thriller about a couple whose remote
getaway becomes a place of terror when masked strangers invade. The
confrontation forces Kristen and James to go far beyond what they
thought themselves capable of if they hope to survive.

Movie Trailer:



My Opinion:

Overall this was a really good movie. It kept me tense through a lot of it waiting to see where the bad guys were going to pop up next. The whole movie had a "creepy" feel to it and the strange compilation of music throughout the movie was disturbing at times.

I did laugh at a few things about the movie though and cracked some jokes throughout so it could've been taken light-hearted at times... or it could just be the fact that these movies never seem to scare me. (despite the fact I think I jumped 3 times throughout the movie... LOL!!!)

There was one thing that really bugged me about the movie. Early on the lead female put on a dress/nightgown type outfit... then she changed into jeans and a shirt a while later, but at the end... somehow she magically was back into the dress/nightgown again. I guess it was a bit of a goof-up when the movie was made, but it seemed like a rather large mistake.

All in all I do recommend this movie to others as it did keep me interested throughout and there were a few mildly scary moments (hence me jumping!).

Movie 42 of 2008: Silent Night, Deadly Night

Movie Description:

Traumatized by his parents' Christmas eve rape and murder, little Billy Chapman is brutalized by sadistic orphanage nus. When a grown-up Billy is forced to dress as jolly St. Nick, he goes on a yuletide rampage to punish the naughty. Santa Claus is coming to town... and this time he's got an axe! Robert Brian Wilson an Linnea Quigley star in this jaw-dropping horror hit that a nation of angry mothers still can't stop!

Movie Trailer:



My Opinion:

This movie may have to be a new Christmas tradition for me!!! I had never seen this before and watched it Christmas night. What a fun Christmas horror film! It wasn't too gory, but definitely made you think twice about Santa Claus. I always knew he was one creepy dude. Of course, I s'pose if Santa really DID punish the naughty I'd have been killed loooooooong ago! LOL!!! For any horror fans that are looking for a fun Christmas flick, definitely give this one a watch. It might be a bit campy, but it's fun!

Movie 41 of 2008: Love Actually

Movie Description:

Everywhere you look, love is causing chaos. From the bachelor Prime Minister of the United Kingdom who, on his first day at 10 Downing Street, falls in love with the girl who brings him his tea, to a hopeless sandwich delivery guy who doesn't think he has a chance with the girls in the U.K., so he heads for Wisconsin. From aging rock stars, to a stony headmistress, to a monolingual Portuguese housemaid--love arrives in many forms, shapes and sizes. Here, ten separate--but intertwining--stories of love all lead up to a big climax on Christmas Eve, proving that love is the driving force in all of these people's lives.

Movie Trailer:



My Opinion:

Time and time again I've been told that I NEED to see this movie, so... I finally gave in and bought it and watched it. It definitely wasn't my favorite movie of all time, but was a great movie and one I'd watch again. It also was the tearjerker that I was warned about. I related to several of the characters in various ways throughout the film as I've been there, done that throughout past relationships as I'm sure many people have. It was a good (or bad) Christmas film to watch depending on how you look at it. I was already feeling kinda down Christmas Eve night when I watched it and this probably pushed me a bit more over the edge, but I'm not sorry that I watched it. I recommend it to anyone that enjoys a good romantic comedy film. There are some laughs in the film as well as all the romance so it's not JUST a "chick flick".

Movie 40 of 2008: High Tension

Movie Description:

French college students, Marie and Alex, head to Alex's secluded farmhouse in hopes of studying for their exams without distractions. While settling in, a man breaks into the home and brutally murders Alex's family while Marie tries to hide herself from the killer. When the killer binds and kidnaps Alex, Marie follows him, attempting saving her friend and, along the way, running into some dangerous obstacles.

Movie Trailer:



My Opinion:

Intense movie!!! This movie had me sitting on the edge of my seat almost from the get-go. It has been a long time since I was able to stay focussed on a movie throughout almost the entire movie, but this movie did it. (It also managed to creep me out!!!) I was intent on finding out what was going to happen next and to see if the girls were going to be able to make an escape when it was all said and done. The movie really has you biting your nails up until like 10 minutes before the end... then things start winding down. The ending wasn't quite what I expected and I'm still not sure I'm thrilled with how it ended or can truly say I made sense of the ending, but... the movie itself was awesome just because it was SO suspenseful throughout. I definitely recommend it for those that enjoy a good horror flick.

Movie 39 of 2008: Zombie Love

Movie Description:

The musical Zombie Love tells the story of Dante, a 200 year old zombie, who falls in love with Claudia, a mortal girl, after he saves her from an attack by two grave robbers. Thinking that a zombie could never win her love, he changes his flesh-eating ways in order to win the girl of his dreams. The closer Dante gets to his desired love, the harder he finds it to maintain the facade, especially when his zombie friends encourage him to eat a teenage girl they have captured. What Dante doesn't know, however, is that Claudia is already in love with the zombie that saved her from the robbers and desperately tries to find him. This musical extravaganza, filled with singing, dancing, blood and gore, will have you laughing all the way to your grave!

Movie Trailer:



My Opinion

This is a must-see for fans of zombie and humor flicks as it meshes the two genres together very well. It's a very short movie and is full of catch/funny tunes that carry throughout the film as the "love story" progresses between zombie and mortal girl. Yes, I did say zombie and MORTAL girl!!! This is a weir little flick... check it out!!! And in the end... I dare you not to have the theme song to the movie stuck in your head like I did.

Movie 38 of 2008: You Don’t Mess With the Zohan

Movie Description:

You Don't Mess with the Zohan is a 2008 American comedy film, directed by Dennis Dugan and starring Adam Sandler. The film is about Zohan Dvir (Hebrew : זוהאן דביר), Israel's hero and their greatest counter-terrorism army commando who, after growing tired of his Israeli post-draft's standing service, fakes his own death in order to pursue his dream: becoming a hairstylist in New York City. The story was written by Sandler, Judd Apatow, and Robert Smigel. Sandler's production company, Happy Madison, produced the film, while it was distributed by Columbia Pictures. It was released on June 6, 2008.

Movie Trailer:



My Opinion:

I saw the trailer for this movie way back when at the theater... I think when I saw 21... and I laughed my ass off at it. I had really looked forward to seeing it and had high hopes for it, so... in finally getting to watch it, I was left a bit disappointed. It did have funny moments in it, but where I thought it started off really funny, I thought it kinda dwindled throughout the movie. I will admit to multi-tasking throughout the movie which I'm sure took away from the movie some, but I still don't think I would've found it all that fantastic. Oh well... definitely not Sandler's finest... though I don't think he'll ever out do his role in THE WEDDING SINGER.

Movie 37 of 2008: Quantum of Solace

Movie Description:

'Quantum of Solace' continues the high octane adventures of James Bond from 'Casino Royale'. Picking up literally hours after the previous film left off, after being betrayed by Vesper, the woman he loved, 007 fights the urge to make his latest mission personal. Having captured Mr. White, and in pursuing his determination to uncover the truth, Bond and 'M' interrogate Mr. White who reveals the organization which blackmailed Vesper to steal Bond's casino winnings is far more complex and dangerous than anyone had imagined.

Forensic intelligence links an MI6 traitor to a bank account in Haiti where a case of mistaken identity introduces Bond to the beautiful but feisty Camille, a woman who has her own vendetta. Camille leads Bond straight to Dominic Greene, a ruthless businessman and major force within the mysterious criminal organization known only as 'Quantum'.

On a mission that leads him to Austria, Italy and South America, Bond discovers that Greene, conspiring to take total control of one of the world's most important natural resources, is forging a deal with the exiled General Medrano. Using his associates in the organization, and manipulating his powerful contacts within the CIA and the British government, Greene promises to overthrow the existing regime in Bolivia, giving General Medrano control of the country in exchange for a seemingly barren piece of land which is, however, a main source of the South American water supply. In a minefield of treachery, murder and deceit, Bond allies with old friends in a battle to uncover the truth. As he gets closer to finding the man responsible for the betrayal of Vesper, 007 must keep one step ahead of the CIA, the terrorists, and even 'M' herself, to unravel Greene's sinister plan and stop Quantum from getting its way.

Movie Trailer:



My Opinion:

Went and saw this with my dad on an "early birthday date" tonight as we had free passes to see it. I haven't seen a Bond movie in many, many years!!! I wasn't really sure how I was going to like it or IF I was going to like it, but I actually enjoyed it quite a lot. There were a LOT of action scenes and they were all very well done. I think my favorite one was one near the beginning in the water with all the boats. I thought there were also several humorous moments/comments in the movie as well. I didn't recall older Bond movies being quite as humorous, but that could just be my memory. *shrugs* One thing that DID seem to be less in this movie from older Bond movies was sex! Sure... there were definitely the "Bond girls", but there wasn't the one big sex scene that I recall from the previous movies. I didn't see where it was needed, but it was kind of funny that it wasn't there when I was kind of expecting it. At any rate, I do recommend this movie to pretty much anyone that likes a good action flick as it's definitely a fun watch.