"Chopper" a must-see Psycho Flick

The jaw-dropping Australian movie “Chopper” released in 2000 has quickly become a cult classic in America due to the interesting storytelling and weird relationships.

“Chopper” is the extreme story about Mark “Chopper” Read’s criminal life in and out of jail based off of his best-selling autobiography, “From the Inside.”

IMDB categorizes “Chopper” as a biographical crime drama but it is more of a fictionalized biopic with dark humor. One second Chopper’s actions are mortifying and the next second they are funny. It is one those few movies that successfully combine horrific violence and comedy.

The violence is similar to “Natural Born Killers” with Woody Harrelson and the humor is similar to Guy Ritchie’s “Lock Stock and two Smoking Barrels” and “Snatch” movies.

In his first leading role Eric Bana knocks it out of the park as Read. Without Bana’s performance the movie would have suffered, he perfectly walks the line between a man with boyish charm and a schizophrenic murderer.

Bana’s supporting cast gives just as good of a performance as he did. Chopper Read’s relationships between his trashy girlfriend, his peculiar dad and his junkie best friend are the best parts in the movie.

In his directorial debut Andrew Dominik did a great job making a witty gritty story translate well to the screen. Before viewing remember that he deliberately made the film look grainy to give it a realistic appearance. Dominik also directed “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford,” which was pretty good but it lagged at the end and didn’t have enough action.

This movie is given a 70 percent by all critics on Rotten Tomatoes but the top critics give it an 85 percent rating and the audience rating is 89 percent rating.

This particular movie is not recommended for kids, adults over 40 or most women because it has shockingly bloody scenes and humor that people from another generation might think is demented.

Rating: B+
It would have been an A- if it didn’t get a little repetitive by the end.

"The Secret in Their Eyes" is a Captivating Throwback

The 2010 Oscar-winner for Best Foreign Language Film, "The Secret in Their Eyes" has all the right components for a great mystery.
The 2009 movie follows Benjamin Esposito, a retired Argentinian detective, retracing his steps back to a 25-year-old murder case.

Set in 1999 Buenos Aires, this mystery keeps the audience intrigued from start to finish through revealing flashbacks to 1974.  The film is only shown though Esposito’s point-of-view, which helps make the murder investigation and other characters more interesting.

Esposito and his department chief, Irene Menedez-Hastings have a bit of a romance but it doesn’t take away from the mystery. Esposito’s loyal alcoholic assistant, Pablo Sandoval brings an essential bit of comedy to this grim tale.

Rating: B+
With a bit of romance and a bit of comedy this dramatic mystery is one of the best international films in recent memory. It's a bit confusing but that is what you should expect from a mystery. The subtitles can also be a little distracting.

What is "A Scanner Darkly" all About

The crime film "A Scanner Darkly" from 2006 is a really weird but cool movie that blows minds.

Director Richard Linklater, who's known for "Dazed and Confused," "Before Sunset" and "School of Rock," creates a unique, futuristic world through an animation process called rotoscoping. It takes live-action film and animators trace over the film to make a precise cartoon copy. The intriguing combination of style and story make this film standout.

Reeves breaks into the group by dating Winona Ryder, "Edward Scissorhandd," and participating in a bit of Substance D consumption.  The rest of the junkies are brilliantly played by "A" list actors Robert Downey Jr., "Iron Man" and Woody Harrelson, "Natural Born Killers."

Rating: B
This movie is innovative and thought-provoking but the content isn't appealing to everyone. It is intended for sci-fi and drug crime fans.It is based on the science fiction novel by Phillip K. Dick, who wrote the short story that inspired "The Minority Report." This film follows Keanu Reeves, from "The Matrix," as an undercover cop trying infiltrate a group of junkies to cut off the distribution of the brain-damaging drug called Substance D.

"The King's Speech" hits the mark

The film based on a true story, “The King’s Speech” gracefully blends smart humor and lowbrow humor, which makes it one of the more entertaining historical dramas and 2011 Best Picture nominees.

It follows the stuttering, King George VI’s public speaking troubles and rise to power from 1925-1939.

George VI’s problem is so bad it is uncomfortable to watch, especially since he is royalty. Colin Firth played the role of the powerful, insecure king perfectly. He captures King George’s peculiar speech flawlessly.

Geoffrey Rush from “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl,” plays the king’s charming and demanding speech therapist. All the scenes with Rush and Firth were great, the two played off each other very well.

Helena Bonham Carter from “Big Fish,” beautifully recreates the great historical figure as the king’s wife otherwise known as “The Queen Mother.” Guy Pearce from “Memento,” plays a good jerk as usual in the role of the king’s brother. Michael Gambon from “Harry Potter,” is good in a small role as the king’s father.

Director Tom Hopper did a fantastic job regenerating the early twentieth century. Hopper also directed the 2009 soccer movie “The Damned United,” which got good reviews from ESPN.

Rating: A-It demonstrates many emotions effectively like anger, sadness, happiness, joy, surprise and fear. But it’s a little slow and the parts without Rush and Firth together aren’t as good. However it gives a very realistic portrayal of the life of someone with a stutter.

Could a Ballet Flick Entertain Guys?

The psychological ballerina thriller “Black Swan” is a surprisingly good film for both genders.

Although most movies about ballets are not male friendly, this film uses sex, suspense and some violence to keep the men interested.

The sexual movie follows the life of a straight-edged ballerina, played by Natalie Portman, she is about to perform “Swan Lake” at a prominent New York ballet. It shows her struggle between good and bad through two roles, the white swan and the black swan. The colors white and black are prevalent throughout, which brings attention to the differences of the two swan parts in the ballet.

Portman is incredible as one of the most interesting characters in recent memory, she deserves the Oscar for best leading lady. The supporting cast only enhances her performance with Vincent Cassel from “Ocean’s 11,” Mila Kunis from “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” and Winona Ryder from “Edward Scissorhands.”

Director Darren Aronofsky, who is the king of making messed-up, sad movies like “Requiem for a Dream” and “The Wrestler.” He did maybe his best work in this film using both depressing scenes like in “The Wrestler” and crazy, weird scenes like in “Requiem for a Dream.”

Slow at parts, but those parts are just building tension and anxiety. It can also be a bit confusing. Do not watch this with your parents.

Rating: A-
Really good movie, however people might be turned off by Aronofsky’s extreme direction.

Rock Me "Amadeus"

The highly fictionalized 1984 film "Amadeus" follows the rock star life and music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

His story is told through the eyes of his jealous opposing composer, Antonio Salieri.

It brilliantly shows Mozart's creative process and the scences are edited perfectly with the music being played over.

Tom Hulce beat out David Bowie for the role of the enthusiastic, childish and unpredictable Mozart.

It had some historical inaccuracies, but the film wasn't made to be historically accurate. The film depicts a less formal, more realistic society that isn't usually shown in films about this era.

It is one of the few 80s movies where the electronic music and neon colors from the era don't bleed through and kill the movie.

If you don't like long movies then this isn't for you, it's over two and a half hours. But if do you like classical music this is the perfect film.

Rating: B+, Really good biopic, but it's long and not historically accurate.

It's a "Bottle Shock"

The 2008 film "Bottle Shock" is a fun, light story following one California vineyard before the American wine boom in 1976.

It stars Bill Pullman from "Independence Day," as the owner of the vineyard, his son and employee is played by Chris Pine from "Star Trek." Pullman and Pine, both give good performances.



The best scenes are with Steve Spurrier (Alan Rickman), a knowledgable wine professional who discovers the vineyard. His performance is key to this film, because the snotty but charming Spurrier is only person who gave American wine a chance.

Rachel Taylor from the first "Transformers", plays Chris Pine's love interest. Although she is good in it, the love story is the weak part of the film.

The love story got a little weird, if it was a little different it could have better.

Rating: C+, It is a good wine movie with laughs and drama, but it lags a bit in the middle.