There you go.. another 30 movies completed for the month of February.. 
Babylon 5 : The Lost Tales - Voices In The Dark (2007)
Babylon 5 is arguably one of the best science fiction series created (right after Star Trek in my opinion). Unfortunately, I never had the privilege to follow every single season faithfully, nor catch up with any of the other standalone movies that were released over the years. This is my first B5 movie - the latest attempt by J. Michael Straczynski to bring a revival of sorts to the series for the younger sci-fi generation. Voices In The Dark is the first of the announced anthology, and I have to say, brings back a LOT of old memories.. 
The special effects now have been ramped up a notch, and although the plot for this 1 hour movie was a little thin, it is obvious that it was purposely written as such.. to slowly help ease us back into the forgotten B5 universe, and to reintroduce the characters again. Can’t wait for the next one!
Behind The Mask : The Rise Of Leslie Vernon (2006)
I eagerly anticipated watching this movie because I saw an above average rating for it on IMDB. It however disappointed me HORRIBLY. I had to endure hour after hour of supremely bad acting, bad directing, God awful plot, script and everything under the sun. Okay, maybe endure isn’t such a good word, because some of the scenes were so blatantly cheap, cliched, stupid, and dumb that I burst out laughing. When it finally ended, I stood up and shook my head in disgust. Then I went online and found out that the movie was done so intentionally! Goodness, it was a satire, meant to poke fun and ridicule other horror films of similar genres. No wonder the high rating - looks like my judgment and opinion was impaired because I was expecting something else entirely. Do keep it in mind if you do ever watch this.. this.. piece of fabricated crap.
Van Wilder 2 : The Rise Of Taj (2006)
I don’t put much store in stupid comedies if you remember me saying, so I inserted this DVD into my player with a certain sense of.. dread (it got a measly 3.6 on IMDB). Again, as with the previous movie I watched, I was caught completely unawares. This movie wasn’t all that badd actually! I was laughing all alone watching this by myself in the middle of the night. True there are some really baddd moments (badminton, paintball, dog competition in particular), but some of the script that was delivered was hilarious. But this is probably because many of them was running off the Indian accent + colonial racist jokes & original sexual terminologies that Kal Penn used for his lines. It’s warrant a watch if you are into raunchy comedies like this. I’d give it maybe a 5/10.. Now does anyone have Van Wilder 1? 
In The Valley Of Elah (2007)
Tommy Lee Jones got an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor in his role here as a father in search for his son who went missing immediately after his return from the Iraq war. It’s a quiet, deeply gripping movie centered around his own investigation with some help from the local police force (Charlize Theron) - while constantly hinting at darker motivations and a conspiracy regarding his sons disappearance. The truth that is revealed at the end attempts to convey a deeper message regarding the Iraqi war and the repercussions on American soldiers who are sent to fight, and kill, for a cause they cannot fully grasp. Topnotch writing from Paul Haggis who also wrote Casino Royale, Flags of our Fathers, Letters from Iwo Jima, Million Dollar Baby and Crash. Some call it anti-American. I call it anti-war, daring, provoking and honest.
The Sex Movie (2006)
Don’t be fooled by the cover! It’s NOT a comedy, and it’s definitely not some softcore porn. In fact, it’s a surprisingly intelligent dialogue based movie. Four friends - a straight guy and girl, a lesbian and a gay - decide to get together after work for a chat and drinks. Little do they know where their conversations will take them, as they end up debating, arguing, insulting, fighting, discovering and bonding on topics regarding their sexualities, and deepest innermost secrets. Mildly erotic, watch angers flare, comfort zones breached, and finally, displays of forgiveness and love. Well written, and definitely a movie for thinkers (with its entirety taking place in a living room). Get ready to listen in to a discussion you will most likely never partake amongst your friends in your lifetime..
A particular dialogue struck a chord in me during this movie.. because I was JUST having a similar moment of melancholy earlier in the afternoon (while chatting with one of my friends)..
*Kris (the straight girl) lying down with her head on Heidi’s lap (the lesbian)*
Kris : We have such fantastic lives and we don’t appreciate them.. why is that?
Heidi : It’s because of fear..
Kris : But what are we afraid of?
Heidi : Life..
Kris : Then why are we born fucked?
Heidi : Because we do not know what to do..
Kris : Maybe we do.. It’s really simple.. Just love..
PS : I know, I know, the above sounded pretty lame, but following the events and conversation that transpired before it, it actually did carry a decent amount of meaning and insight..
The Brave One (2007)
Jodie Foster does a damn fine job playing a radio talk show presenter hell bent on revenge after a brutal incident at a park with a gang of thugs. Alongside the conventional vengeance thriller plot, we are also given a glimpse into her character’s transformation and motivations, as well as a relationship of sorts with a lawful detective (played by Terrence Howard). Admittedly, the ending was a little disappointing and cliched, but it was quite gratifying to see a vigilante walk the dark gritty streets, dispatching the scum of New York city with her own brand of justice. Don’t we just love revenge movies like these? (Count of Monte Cristo, Old Boy, Bollywood films)..
The Comebacks (2007)
A lameass parody comedy following the Scary/Epic/Date Movie, and Meet The Spartans franchise - The Comebacks spoofs are based entirely on all the typical inspirational sports based movies. I don’t quite particularly enjoy this franchise to begin with, and many of the jokes were way too lame, forced, repetitive, and uninspired. This movie will make you cringe. Avoid like the plague.
Norbit (2007)
Okay, unless you are interested in seeing Eddie Murphy act as 3 different persons (a geeky orphan, a fat abusive wife, and a Chinese old man) AND break records by getting nominated for 3 Razzies for Worst Actor, Worst Actress and Worst Supporting Actor in the SAME movie, there is absolutely no other reason to watch this one. NONE whatsoever.
The Girl Next Door (2007)
Based on the true story of one of America’s most horrific torture-murders - this movie was almost like an exploitation film to me. It may have made me go online and read up on what actually happened, but this movie’s adaptation of Jack Ketchum’s novelized version doesn’t quite do Sylvia Wilkens (the real victim) any justice. Excessively dramatized, with a lot of over the top fictionalized sequences purely for the sake of increasing viewer’s cringe and shock factor doesn’t necessarily always make a movie good. Some of torture scenes in this movie are pretty hard to swallow (let alone that it didn’t really happen) so go figure why I feel this way about its historical accuracy. Well, good news though, because another separate film which is ALSO based on the same true story will be coming out soon (An American Crime) - and I hope it turns out much better than this one.
The Legend Of 1900 (1998)
OMG, I wouldn’t have hunted for this movie had it not been for a fellow stranger who recommended it to me in my blog Cbox after reading my review on Man From Earth. It’s an incredible, moving, beautiful movie - about a pianist savant who was born on a ship and never left it (and thus technically, never existed). It’s got some fantastic memorable scenes, and the piano score in this movie was sublime. This is a MUST WATCH for any music enthusiasts as its one of the very few shows who successfully shows how music has the capacity to fill a life, paint emotions, and immortalize our memories. And of course, not forgetting its profound philosophical messages - that life is IMMENSE - which will reach out to you in ways you don’t expect. Sweet, moving and endearing - grab a copy of this old underrated hidden gem if you can.
My Super Ex-Girlfriend (2006)
Wow, Hollywood at its purest, and surprisingly quite fun too - just as long as you don’t take anything seriously. Average guy Matt (Luke Wilson) attracts the attention of G-Girl Jenny (Uma Thurman) and starts a relationship he will soon regret as she turns out to be a little insecure, possessive and downright strange. Of course, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned - and G-Girl decides to make life hell for Matt for dumping her.. Despite being absolutely corny and being filled with plenty of cliched lines, this was somehow decently entertaining for me.. Hmm strange..
Into The Wild (2007)
This is a true story of Christopher McCandless aka Alexander Supertramp (played by Emile Hirsch), a bright young man who at the age of 22, decided to leave his family, friends and life behind for a solitary life of adventure, free from the shackles of societal expectations and responsibilities. It details his journey, surviving on very little money, culminating in his ultimate trip - to live off the land by himself in the wilderness of Alaska. Into The Wild will definitely provoke a sense of escapism in you (varying depending on the individual), and it did make me wish that I had the guts and ability to do what he did. Deeply meaningful, no other film used as many quotes and lines that I agreed with more.. here are some of them:
“The core of mans’ spirit comes from new experiences.” - I once wrote an entire article on experience too..
“Some people feel like they don’t deserve love. They walk away quietly into empty spaces, trying to close the gaps of the past.” &
“I read somewhere… how important it is in life not necessarily to be strong… but to feel strong.” - I relate COMPLETELY with both of these lines.
“Rather than love, than money, than faith, than fame, than fairness… give me truth.” originally from Thoreau
“Happiness is only real when shared.”
Academy Award nominated for Best Supporting Actor (Hal Holbrook’s tear jerking performance), and Best Editing, and running at about 2 hours 30 minutes, this Sean Penn drama is going to leave you with some new opinions and thoughts. Any movie that makes you reflect on yourself after watching it, is a good movie in my book, and this definitely deserves its high rating of 8.3/10 on IMDB.
Solaris (2002)
One of the few sci-fi movies that I missed in the past, it’s a good thing I managed to catch up with this one now. Solaris is a VERY slow moving movie taking place on a space station orbiting a strange planetary body that has the ability to create unexplained phenomena. When contact with this space station is lost, a civilian psychologist played by George Clooney is sent in to investigate - and his experiences on board becomes the central plot for this movie that attempts to explore the human psyche - asking a multitude of questions altogether “what is God, where is Heaven, and what truly makes us human?”. Of course, based on the original novel by Stanislev Law of the same name - this movie’s adaptation is a little too condensed, as the original story also attempted to highlight that we humans simply do not have the capacity to understand a truly alien life form if we encountered it. This movie is 95% drama, drawn out with long camera shots, scenes with no dialogue, and a downright confusing open ended ending. It only worked for me because it dealt with philosophical questions on a sci-fi platform - and even then, it very nearly put me to sleep. I think many of you may find this too boring for your tastes..
Hot Rod (2007)
An okay and decently funny comedy about an utter loser (queue Napoleon Dynamite) who loves doing outrageous stunts and decides to pull off the ultimate stunt in order to raise money for his stepfather’s heart transplant.. Decently funny because there were some hilarious moments, but it also comes with its fair share of those ‘uh.. rolls eyes’ scenes. Self inflicted injuries, complete idiocies and ridiculous dance moves are what you can expect to find in Hot Rod. So there you have it, another comedy that almost entered my gutter of abject failures.
