SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

Slumdog Millionaire is the story of a teen who grew up in the slums of Mumbai and becomes a contestant on the Indian version of “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?” In the middle of the show the police become wary of him and arrest him under suspicion of cheating. Desperate to prove his innocence, Jamal tells the story of his life in the slums where he and his brother grew up, of their adventures together on the road, of vicious encounters with local gangs, and of Latika, the girl he loved and lost. Each chapter of his story reveals the key to the answer to one of the game show’s questions. We later learn why he ended up on the show.

Slumdog is a well told story that flows  beautifully and keeps you interested from beginning to end. It keeps you engrossed in his life and how it connects to the questions on the show.  Like will he win the money? Will he find his love, and how does he know the answers to all those questions? The director does a great job of not letting the audience get lost in the plot and the acting is very good for a crew of basic novice to american cinema. Slumdog Millionaire is well worth a trip to your local theater.

verdict:  see it in theaters

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Starring: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett. Pitt plays the role of Benjamin Button, a man that is born 80-yrs old and as time passes, instead of aging, he grows younger. From learning to walk, traveling the world, being at war, and falling in love, the movie tells his life story from beginning to end.

The flow of the movie was good, but at over three hours long you feel that somethings could have been left out. Another problem I thought the movie had, was the ending. It seemed as though the writer did not have a good conclusion in mind. He just ended it with a conclusion he thought was good and left the audience hanging.

Besides those little mishaps the movie is well acted. Even the smaller roles in the film left their mark and most of the events in the movie kept you yearning for more. This is a film worth seeing in theaters.

Recomendation: See it in a theater

Seven Pounds

Starring: Will Smith, Rosario Dawson, Woody Harrelson. The story of a tax collector who after suffering a tragedy in his own life sets out to help seven strangers in their lives. The whole movie keeps you guessing up until the end, when we find out what the main character Ben Thomas, played by Smith, had planned.

The movie had good intentions but falls short. Even with Smith and Dawson being very good in this movie it doesn’t save the movie from its ridiculous twist at the end. Besides the main characters we really don’t get to know much about the other people in the movie which hurts the plot in the long run. This movie is best if you wait for it on dvd.

Recommendation: Rent it!

Gran Torino

Starring: Clint Eastwood. Is a movie about a Korean war veteran, named Walt Kowalski, who has to change his racist ways as his community becomes more racially diverse. Walt forms a close friendship with his Asian neighbors and when they are threatened by gang violence he takes it upon himself to protect them.

Eastwood gives a great performance in this movie! He is surrounded by a great cast of unknown actors, but their chemistry is amazing. The movie lets you grow to like Walt, played by Clint Eastwood, showing you how he grows from being a bitter old man to a mentor to his neighbors. And even though the ending is a bit predictable it still does a great job of a getting a reaction out of its audience. This movie should not be passed up!

Recommendation: see it in theaters