Reviews by The Cineast

Every Madden game made so far has been basically the same thing over and over again, maybe with a little better graphics, and 09 is no exception. When I first played it, I easily could have been fooled with Madden 08. Yes, I am being harsh, but there is basically no difference! I am not saying Madden is not a good game, because it obviously is, but if they are going to keep making games, and say that 09 is going to be the best Madden ever, then at least make some drastic changes. If they just had one great Madden and just kept adding to it, that would be fine. I am not hating on Madden, I actually enjoy it sometimes, but I am just saying it is same old same old. But the graphics are better from 08.

"Pandora Tomorrow" is literally perfect in my opinion. The story is great, and loads of fun, with an occasional mission in the jungle. The graphics are much more defined from the original, and the gameplay is more advanced. I forgot to mention the soundtrack, which really amped up the experience for me. I cannot put into words how amazing all four Splinter Cell's are. No matter where you go, I guarantee you will not find any game like this one, or the other three. These are the most unique, and well made games out there. Way to go Ubisoft and Tom Clancy!

I am not going to lie, I thought this one was going to fall drastically short of saw 1 and 2, three was just O.K. But surprisingly it was better than all of them, with the exception of the original, which in my opinion has become a classic.

"Saw IV" has every ingredient of what a Saw film is supposed to have, and more. The story is great, not as in depth, due to it being the fourth installment, but it was still pretty good. They really went deep into what the Saw franchise is all about, which is what the fans want. They added some interesting camera features as well, including quick transactions between scenes, creating an awesome looking affect, it is difficult to explain, but you will enjoy it.

After the first three, I thought it was over, seeing as Jigsaw is deceased, but they really pulled it off well with the twists and turns, and replacing Jigsaw.

I highly recommend watching this film, it is definitely worth it.

I just saw the pilot last night, and I got pretty good vibes from it. The story is clever, the actors are unknown, which is actually a good thing for me, and It is a funny show. It stars Kurtwood Smith from "That 70's Show", who plays the father. He fits perfectly for the role.

It is about a middle aged couple who's parents are very skeptical about their daughter dating, so they put them both through chaos. It is similar to a lot of other shows out there, but it is pulled off quite well. You will notice some "Meet The Parents" and "Christmas Vacation" type humor throughout, it is great. Sam just can't do anything right.

"Worst Week" is definitely worth the watch.

"Gary Unmarried" is actually a pretty enjoyable show. Jay Mohr was hilarious in the pilot episode. It revolves around a man named Gary Brooks (Mohr) who is going through a rough patch in his life. His wife of fifteen years divorced him, and he is trying to get back in the groove. He met a random girl and slept with her, shortly afterwards finding out that she already has a current boyfriend. Since this series just started airing today, I cannot really expand on it anymore. Basically in a nutshell, it is fresh new family comedy that delivers the laughs.

"Fringe" is your everyday average crime show, created by the director of Mission Impossible 3 "J.J Abrams". Knowing how good MI 3 was, I thought this show was going to be much better. It is very basic, with the exception of the way it is portrayed. You have your female character named Olivia Dunham, followed by your male character named John Scott. They are in a secret relationship while working in the same department. While I was watching it, I noticed all of the basic crime show cliches. Maybe if there weren't so many, I would have thought higher of this show.

I thought is was just average until I saw this unique feature. As they show different places around the world, it expands on the screen in big blue text. I have never seen anything like it. It really makes the show a little more enjoyable.

The show is about a plague, or a chemical that is released into the world, that deforms people, making them look very weird, and kind of like a zombie.

If you are looking for a pretty enjoyable show, but nothing new, give this one a try.

"Are they serious?" was basically what was going through my head while watching this film. months before it's release, I was extremely excited about viewing it. I swear I had no idea it would be as bad as it was. I mean, when most people hear about Nicolas Cage as a hitman, they expect good things. Especially when I have never seen a bad Nicolas Cage film, though I have never had the pleasure of seeing "Ghost Rider", or "The Wicker Man", which I have heard are pretty bad. Anyway, the film is nowhere near as good as advertised.

Honestly the main flaw in this film was the plot. It was actually boring after awhile. It was good for the first twenty minutes or so, then very dull from there. There were way too many scenes about him and his Asian lover, and I frankly think they should have cut a lot of her scenes out of the film. I wouldn't have minded if they met, had a date, and moved on. Speaking of flaws, I don't know if anyone else noticed this, but a lot of the scenes were completely silent, which was quite annoying after awhile.

Maybe I am being too harsh, but that is the way I feel.

I simply love this film. The whole idea of it is great, and the cast pulls it off perfectly, including Seth Green, Cuba Gooding Jr.,Whoopi Goldberg, and a few more. No flaws are coming to mind. But please do note that this is not one of those masterpiece films, that will win a bunch of awards and be a classic, Don't hope for any of that. This is just a film for the whole family, or by yourself to sit back, laugh, and have a great time. This is one of the best films for that purpose.

The plot is about a big group of strangers, (with the exception of some friends) that are offered to go on a race to acquire a large sum of money. The person that is offering this big prize, is a guy that works at a casino. He is looking for a way to make income, so he sends these people on a rat race. They all accept, and racing they go! the obstacles they go through, and hilarious schemes they are forced into, makes this one of my all-time favorite films.

You would think that Jon Avnet would be able to pull off a good film, considering the fact that this is his second mediocre film, the other being Righteous Kill, but I am sorry to say, I was disappointed once again.

I admit, I was into this film for the first thirty minutes or so, but the plot kept going on and on, and wouldn't stop. The actual killer, and the twist were way too drawn out to the point where I just started to get bored. It would have been much better if they cut the film shorter by a good twenty minutes, and didn't have so many possible suspects. I almost got a headache from that alone.

The acting from Pacino was great as usual. I don't know of any films where he has been bad. What really bugged me though, was the acting from the supporting cast members. I was thinking to myself, is this a joke?.

Well, that basically sums up by short review of 88 Minutes. Watch it at your own risk.

I can not even begin describing how excited I was for this film's release. I was waiting for it for months and months. I was expecting a classic De Niro/Pacino Blockbuster Gem, but it was anything but that. Yes, there were several entertaining to watch scenes, and the acting from both legends was great, with some great original lines, but that does not do this film justice. It was very predictable, and pretty much like most other cop thrillers out there, except this one had many more flaws mixed in throughout. I know I am cutting this review short, and the reason for that is because I am a little rusty seeing as in I have not written a review in weeks, and frankly there is not much more to say about this film.

Pros: acting, a couple classic lines, great duo.

Cons: bad story, predictable, cheesy

5.0/10