Justin at the Movies

This Week On DVD

// September 1st, 2009 // Recommendations

State Of Play

 Justin’s Rating: 4/5

Surprise, Surprise. This movie is so full of surpises it’s ridiculous. The first surprise is at how good it actually is. When I saw the trailer for it when it was in theaters, I couldn’t figure out what it was about so I wasn’t that interested. Then Peter Travers had his quote on the cover box. He called it “a gripping thriller…,” so I knew I had to give it a chance. Just a little side note, Peter Travers is the only credible critic out there. If he has a positive quote anywhere on a movie you are looking at, pick it up. The guy never steers me wrong. Anyway, the second surprise was Ben Affleck’s acting. For the first time in his career, he actually made me believe that he was a character and not Ben Affleck. He actually does a pretty good job in this movie. I have to give him credit, as much as I hate to. The third, fourth, fifth, and sixth surprise all come from the story itself. The plot is about a murder and all the important people that may be involved. It feels very John Grisham-esque in a very good way. I found myself 100% intrigued from start to finish. Solid writing, directing, and very sound performances from the whole cast. If you are looking for a good PG-13 political thriller, don’t miss this one.

Earth

 Justin’s Rating: 4/5

I highly recommend this film to anybody that has any interest in anything at all. So, I guess that would be you. I am a huge fan of the ‘Planet Earth’ series, and this film just feels like a condensed version of that. It goes all around the globe giving time to so many different and amazing things on this planet, but focuses a little more on a polar bear family, an elephant family, and a family of whales. There is so much to be taken from this film, and it manages to get all it’s points across without being preachy or making me feel bad for being a human being. It’s amazing to watch how animals and certain species act in their natural environments. I learned a lot from this film, and it made me appreciate a lot of different things. Very successful, very entertaining, very educational, and at a short 90 minutes, it would be very silly not to give this a go. It’s worth every minute.

Sin Nombre

Justin’s Rating: 4/5

How much do I love foreign films? Quite a bit, is the answer to that question. I like seeing the different cultures and the different problems they face within that culture. Sin Nombre is no different. The story is about a boy nicknamed “Casper,” and struggling with gang life in South America. I really felt like this film gave me a chance to experience something that I never would have the chance to experience. Casper is a member of the MS 13 gang, which if I am not mistaken, is now the biggest and most violent gang in the world. It was very interesting to see the way of life and to see what they struggle with. This film, for me, was very reminiscent of ‘City of God,’ just not as good. However, this is a very solid film and I would highly recommend it to most people, especially film enthusiasts. This movie is excellent from start to finish, and the direction is superb.

**It’s a good week for dvd releases. Also just released is Zach Galifinakis’ stand up. I am not really sure how to review a stand up dvd other than with the comment that it is absolutely hilarious. He is one of the funniest comedians out there, and his hit movie ‘Then Hangover’ hit’s dvd Oct. 6th. **