Reviews by The Cineast

"The Ultimate Fighter" is a great show. It is one of the most entertaining shows on television. When I am watching it, I feel like I am watching a big time fight between two superstars, and I love watching two great fighters in the octagon. These guys will eventually be as good as some of the best fighters in the world. That is one of the great aspects of this series, watching them get great and build up skill.

This season it is Team Mir vs. another team that I forgot the name of. There is an amazing Guest Star Anderson Silva that joined the show to teach some techniques. I always thought that was cool when they brought legends of the game to show some moves. It really helps the fighters.

I have not always been an MMA fan, but I am glad I decided to become one now. If you have not seen the Ultimate Fighter, please do yourself a favor, and watch it.

Casino chronicles the true story of a casino owner, played by Robert De Niro, and his close friend, up-and-coming gangster Nicky Santoro, played by the always entertaining Joe Pesci. The film goes deep, evaluating many moral dilemmas, showing a very in depth look at just how hectic it can be to own a casino, whilst at the same time having to sometimes baby-sit, and work with a ruthless gangster, who shows no respect for anything whatsoever. Joe Pesci returns to his brand here, like his character in Goodfellas and Raging Bull; the uptight, volatile guy who can, and probably will erupt at any moment. Let’s be honest, would Goodfellas, or this film be the same without the crazy Pesci? Personally, I bid not. They’d still be great though.

Directing this picture is Martin Scorsese; the renowned mafia film director, and my personal favorite. There really is nobody in this world with the masterful skills Scorsese was blessed with, and I believe his name will always be at the top of the list, when discussing the greatest gangster themed films ever made. With The Departed, Goodfellas, Mean Streets, and now Casino, this man simply cannot be touched, at least in that department. He has some great range, as he also created Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, The Aviator, and also treading in the horror department with Cape Fear, and Shutter Island. This guy does it all.

Casino is presented within the same style as Goodfellas. The opening scene is very similar, in that it begins with De Niro narrating the story, letting the audience know just exactly what’s going on. Scorsese owns the genre, so his style doesn’t run cold. The narrative is brilliant. Not up to par with his best work, but it works to a tee, and really draws you into the nasty underbelly of the mafia world. De Niro is Sam “Ace” Rothstein, and he’s just been granted ownership of a Vegas casino. At first he’s doing great, making good money, maintaining good control, and all of his employees are working admirably. As time progresses, he realizes that this job isn’t as basic as it first appeared. Outsiders belonging to powerful organizations start messing up Sam’s system, disrespecting all the rules, acting as if they own the place. However, that’s just the least of his concerns, as pretty much everything begins to spiral out of control. Then enters Joe Pesci’s character, Nicky Santoro; an egotistical, violent, and selfish gangster, wanting in on Sam’s business. Sam accepts his best friend in, things go even worse, and chaos ensues as Santoro becomes greedy, and loathing for all the money he can obtain, in any way possible. This is one powerful film, not just the underworld of organized crime, but the emotional tensions that boil up between two pals who want completely different things, and the opposite paths they each take. As the film moves along, Sam meets Ginger, played very well by Sharon Stone, a money-grubbing woman who wants nothing more out of Sam, then his income. That doesn’t help Rothstein’s situation, as Nicky gets banned from every Las Vegas Casino, leaving the two’s friendship in jeopardy. Absolutely mesmerizing performances throughout, even some actors from Scorsese’s previous efforts, who do not disappoint. De Niro’s performance is by the far the greatest of the bunch, but then again, when isn’t he spectacular? James Woods plays Ginger’s pimp, a man with no moral compass, a man who uses Ginger for whatever cash she can grab from Sam. Also in the mix is Sam’s child, who becomes involved at the wrong time, as Woods’ character tries taking control of the family.
The name Martin Scorsese is implanted across every scene in this film, with his normal gritty and realistic violence, some brutal ones as well, a montage when things begin to change. He paces this film almost perfectly, with the exception of a few missteps along the way, but he more than makes up for it with the remainder. The soundtrack is used brilliantly, mixing in with the ever-changing, downward spiral of Sam and Nicky’s empire. What you see may surprise you, boggle your mind, and most likely impress you. Casino is another gem from master director Martin Scorsese. Not to be missed if you’re a fan of his, or if you’re a lover of Goodfellas.

9.5/10

"The Brave One" tells the story of a middle aged woman (Foster) who loses her boyfriend, and soon to be husband in a brutal beating. The film is about her taking revenge upon her boyfriends death, and the tough times she has to go through.

Throughout the graphic film, she kills more people than just the suspects. She basically takes her anger out on anyone who pisses her off, by blowing their brains out. She acquires a gun illegally from someone on the street.

Yes, the film is extremely entertaining. I mean, just pure violence and mayhem can be fun to watch for awhile, but too much is too much. She took it too far, and I began to get rather depressed. I am not saying that I can not handle a bit of killing in the movies I watch, But when it gets very emotional and personal with love between two people, and massive shootings, I admit, I get depressed.

The final verdict is please, do watch this film for it's great entertainment, but be prepared for your emotions to fly.

I gotta be honest with you, I don't know if this film even deserves a "6". I was tempted to give it a "5". Let's just say it is worth a good 5.8. There are several reasons for that rating. One being the story. The story was just as basic as any horror film. Three friends take a backpacking trip in Austraila, and are befriended by a knife wielding maniac. You are probably thinking, I have heard that before, and that is because you have. the film was good for about 10-15 minutes towards the end. The rest were just the characters talking about pointless topics, and nothing even remotely interesting. It was dull for the most part.

The good part was pretty much when the killing maniac entered the picture. He really spiced up the film, and he still wasn't even that good. I was expecting a much more intimidating killer, opposed to a comical hillbilly. But still, he had his positive moments.

This film based on true events, so it is understandable that the suspense was limited, and it was for the most part pretty dull and boring.

When the film first began, I was very skeptical as to how good it was going to be, or how bad. It seemed like it was going to be one of those poor video game films, kind of like the Resident Evil's or Doom. The verdict is, It was pretty average. The action was pretty limited, but they had a lot of the great characters from the game, and they all did well. The only character flaw that I was able to catch, was Jim Bravura. He was played by Ludacris, where in the game he is white. So I was rather confused.

As for the story, it was alright and had plenty of scenes from the game. also there were plenty of flaws. I noticed a few dull and unnecessary scenes. They either tried too hard, or Mark Wahlberg just wasn't the right character.

What I was looking for in this film, was for it to be real to the game, and it was pulled of ok. Not like I would have wanted, but worth watching I guess.

"Be Kind Rewind" is a decent comedy with a clever story and idea. I had never seen a film like it before.
Two friends, Jerry and Mike (Jack Black And Mos Def) own a video store called "Be Kind Rewind" They have almost no business, no customers, and only a few VHS's in stock. Things get a little worse when Jerry gets magnetized by a power plant while trying to sabotage it. Don't ask me why he was doing it, because I have no idea. When Jerry enters the video store after wards, he erases all of the content on the tapes. When customers come in asking for films that they don't have, they decide why not create that film, considering they had never seen it before, and wouldn't notice they were in the film. They create many films including Ghostbusters, Rush Hour 2, Men In Black, and many more. The customers love it, and Jerry and Mike finally have business. Well, that is a good thing until they are charged of piracy and all of that hard work is for nothing. To solve the problem, the whole community gets together and makes their own film.
Like I said earlier, a great idea, but not pulled off well. The film started odd, and just didn't have any flow to it.
I would recommend watching it because of the entertainment though.

"On The Lot" was a reality show on Fox about numerous contestants who make short films in order to win a big prize, basically like most reality shows, except with movies. I saw some of the episodes, and I highly enjoyed them.

Seeing as in I have always wanted to be a filmmaker, (not so sure now) I was very inspired while watching how good these people were at putting together films, most of them were rather excellent, and works of art. It was quite impressive. Just imagine how good they will be if they make it big.

Overall, this was a great show, and I recommend renting the dvd.

Seeing as this is the only Mike Judge film I have ever seen, I was sort of skeptical. But the outcome is great. This is probably one of the best comedies ever made. I mainly enjoyed the real life hilarious relationships between the office workers. It really makes me think, I mean there are actually people in this world that do that exact same thing. I just really enjoy real life comedies opposed to people trying to be funny and cracking stupid jokes the whole film.

The film is about a guy named Peter Gibbons who really hates his job sitting in a little cubicle in front of his computer all day. He goes through day day after day doing the same exact thing, seeing the same people, and getting the same crap from his numerous bosses. He got sick and tired of it, so he gets a mind transformation which enables him to be happy no matter what happens. When he goes to work after that, he arrives late every time, wears whatever he wants, and doesn't care whether he gets fired or not. The hilarious thing is, he gets a promotion from doing that. There are a lot of other hilarious characters as well, including the stapler guy, his boss, and his two friends. Jennifer Aniston plays the role of his girlfriend also, so look out for that.

I highly recommend viewing this film. You will not regret it, and probably add it to your favorite comedy films.

7.5/10

"Kath And Kim" is a new television series airing on ABC. I first saw the pilot episode tonight because my Tivo recorded it. I usually just watch series premiers late from Tivo. Anyway, the show started off pretty funny, and seemed like it would be a strong competitor. But I quickly realized that This show has many flaws. I mean, I usually don't mind a few, but they were rather obvious. To start off with, the storyline was just way too dull, there weren't many exciting events going on. It is just your average show. I was also beginning to get rather annoyed by Kim (Selma Blair) She was so ungrateful about everything, and seemed to dislike everything, it began getting ridiculous.

Let's look on the bright side. the show has some pretty funny moments from John Micheal Higgins playing the role as Kath's boyfriend. Molly Shannon was not bad either. The bottomline: This show is worth a watch, but be prepared for a little disappointment.

5.0/10

"NBA Live 09" dominates every basketball game on the market, including the 2k series. I was amazed by this game when I inserted it into my Xbox 360, and I continue to be amazed today. The gameplay is so much more advanced than NBA Live 08. Every player looks like there real life counterpart when they shoot, run, dribble, and jump. They even made their signature free throws in the game. The game is real in so many ways.

Let me tell you about the new game modes. There are something like five new game modes and features including NBA Live 365, which updates the rosters, tendencies, injuries, and stats fresh daily. For example, if Kobe Bryant gets injured in real life, you will not be able to use him in the game until he is healthy. There are a couple new online features as well, including a new and improved lobby, clubs, and you can now choose to play with your friends. There are just so many improvements. I recommend going out and purchasing this game.

The graphics in this game are truly excellent. I could be fooled watching a game on television, that is how good. When I compare this game to 08, or any of the 2k basketball games, This one easily comes out on top. The graphics, gameplay, and control you have in the game, make this top of the food chain in terms of basketball games.