Eagle Eye (2008).

* * * * * spoilers ahoy * * * * *

Despite the fact that this movie was alright, there are still a few things worthy of mentioning (hey, I never said I'd only have positive comments!), and they are the following:

Shia LaBeouf. Shia. LaBeouf.
Similar to how I said Jensen Ackles will always be defined by his role as Dean Winchester, Shia LaBeouf will also pretty much act in the shadow of Transformers for a while (love or hate the movies? I'd like to know your opinions).
Anyway, Shia LaBeouf and his infamous puppy eyes. Seriously. He always looks like a kicked puppy. Shia LaBeouf looking angry? I don't think so. It's always the puppy eyes.

In recent times, his usual role is to be wrongly accused of something out of his control (Constantine notwithstanding), then for him to be in danger, and/or be wanted by the government.. and he always has to play the honest young man who wears his heart on his sleeve. Don't believe me? Think about it. I'm beginning to wonder whether Shia's going to outgrow this phase.. maybe grow into a wider range?

Either way, compared to Transformers, Eagle Eye still has a lot more to offer when it comes to character development (and that's really not too hard to do). There's a lot less special effects involved (no giant robots, thank god!), so the movie relies on acting, rather than eyecandy.
The beginning is a little dull (I zoned out for a while and then had a bit of a surprise figuring out that Ethan and Jerry Shaw were twins), but I'd recommend sticking with it anyway.
It really does get better, although it helps if you're into chases.. car chases.. people chasing each other through crowds.. people chasing each other through airports.. give or take guns.. Okay, so there really is such a thing as too much action, and it can become quite annoying. The chases don't advance the plot, they're just padding.

The concept of a superior computer system/AI isn't new to the movies (anyone remember The Matrix?), but at least Eagle Eye actually thought it was acting in the American nation's best interests. After this movie, I'm not sure whether I'd be comfortable with giving a computer such a large amount of control over anything, much less over everything that relates back to communication (audiovisual media). In addition, I don't like movies with political messages either (e.g. the effects of the US' poor choices when involved in the Middle East); I'm not sure how it's supposed to make watchers feel, but I just zoned out again.

Plot --- AI seeking justice on the behalf of the American people! --- 7/10
Visuals --- mostly chases, with some interesting scenes few and far between --- 6/10
Sounds --- the score actually suited the movie, but it's not my style --- 9/10
Acting --- Shia and his counterpart (Michelle Monaghan) did quite alright, and made the movie that much easier to watch --- 8/10

My Bloody Valentine (2009).

* * * * * spoilers ahoy * * * * *

"She left with that nice Tom Hanniger."

Alright, slasher movies. What can I possibly say? This one ain't all that great, as much as I'd love to promote everything Jensen Ackles ever starred in as genius cinema.

Apparently, this movie's about.. wait, do I really need to tell you what it's about? There are gruesome deaths and Jensen Ackles breathes heavily through a mask. A lot.

The opening montage was interesting enough, I guess, but it all went downhill from there. I totally missed the fact that the first part of the movie happens '10 years ago' and was kind of disappointed with how things went. Jensen Ackles' character (..Tom? Is his name Tom?) has a horrible dress sense and as every slasher movie out there, My Bloody Valentine.. -sigh- also has buckets of blood. However, there was one conclusion I reached pretty early in the movie: horrible dress sense + hotness (no, these two don't eliminate one another.. if you knew Jensen Ackles, you'd get it) = serial killer. Seriously, the ending didn't come as any sort of surprise - if the end shocked you, just take Slasher 101 again - preferably before getting pickax'd in the head (this movie's preferred M.O.).

Another thing I'm absolutely certain of after seeing this movie is that Jensen Ackles (from here on referred to as Mr Hot) will pretty much always be defined by his role as Dean Winchester (from WB hit show Supernatural, what planet are you from?!), no matter what he's in - as Dean, he's pretty rough, but when his puppy eyes hit.. boy, do they hit or what (that's how you tell it's a really emotional episode: Dean woobies). Anyway, the point is, he's not known for being soft and vulnerable-looking 24/7 - which is exactly what Tom Hanniger is. I mean, this is mostly coming from a fan who's used to Dean Winchester's ways, but Tom Hanniger just manages to a) look confused/pensive and unhappy a lot; and b) go completely batshit when pissed off.

Having complained about how Tom Hanniger will never live up to the ideal Dean Winchester created, maybe I should try and come up with some positive points? Alright, alright. I can do positive. I think.
Okay, I got one: the scene with Mr Hot getting a room at midget lady's motel (anybody else thought she was awesome? :D). And the part with the bimbo-next-door running after the dude she had sex with.. naked.. with a gun.. outside. Around that scene, I was kinda wondering if Mr Hot approved of all this or if all the noise was just making him even unhappier.. then the truck driver dude got the ol' pickaxe to the head (ouch!) curtesy of Scary Miner Man. Scary Miner Man then proceeds to kill midget lady and the blonde chick who still hadn't put any sort of clothes on. I may have to watch this movie again. Just to keep a tally of the deaths (how many there are and how they happen).
Afterwards, the sheriff gets a valentine (-singsong- the sheriff got a valentine, the sheriff got a valentine), and it's a yummy heart! That's pretty much how they figure out that some dude who died 10 years ago came back for more action. I'm not sure exactly how their brains are wired but c'mon..

Interesting stuff does happen when Mr Hot goes down into the mine (supposedly to let them know that he wasn't firing their sorry asses). The supposed killer supposedly locks Mr Hot in a cage and then kills the man that brought Mr Hot down there, and Mr Hot basically has to watch.
Needless to say, it turns out that Mr Hot 'did it'. The blonde bimbo, trucker and motel lady; the miner dude and the.. uh, mine director?; the love of his life's maid and the sheriff's pregnant mistress; and almost the sheriff and his wife (who happens to be the love of Mr Hot's life, from 10 years ago). He's behind all that.

Overall, pretty alright movie. Not great.. average. What it needed was a less obvious plot and 'twist', and more stuff happening (or an ending I didn't see coming a mile away).

What I liked - Jensen Ackles, do you need to ask? He's pretty much the movie's sole redeeming point (in my eyes). Thankfully, they actually got someone who can act to play the part of the deranged hot dude with a pickaxe.
Whoever played Sarah (sheriff's wife) - she was disappointing, with a horribly bland performance and character. The scene down in the mine, where she loses it and points the gun at both her husband and Mr Hot, really bothered me. Not because she actually showed (God forbid!) strong emotions, but because in contrast to the way she'd acted throughout the movie, that part seemed fake.
The sheriff seemed conflicted and unhappy, but that was to be expected - at the beginning of the movie, his mistress just told him she was pregnant by him.. and then she dies. His maid also dies, and then he realises that he really truly does love his wife (despite the fact that she's loved Mr Hot all along, apparently) and they both almost die. Even so, I didn't think he'd earned the right to be a douche for 95% of the movie.

..and the end credits theme was kinda cool.
That's about it.

Plot --- typical slasher movie, doesn't bring anything new to the genre --- 5/10
Visuals --- when the visuals aren't shots of Mr Hot standing and looking over the mine and looking thoughtful, they manage to be disturbing, gruesome, and gritty; one redeeming point among very few --- 8/10
Sound --- I thought the score was inappropriate/ridiculous at a couple of points, but it was overall average --- 6/10
Acting --- I'd rate this a 10/10 for Jensen Ackles' heavy breathing and the orgasm faces he pulls in the flashback scenes (when he takes the miner mask off after commiting murder), but he's not enough to make me forget everybody else's lame performance --- 5/10

District 9 (2009).

* * * * * spoilers ahoy * * * * *

I'm not sure what I expected from this movie. Aliens, action, special effects and not much food for thought. What I expected is not what I got -- but I really can't bring myself to mind.

First off, I'm not the kind of person that likes gore in a movie unless that's how the movie is advertised and it's either why I go see a movie (I bet I'm not the only one who went to see The Texas Chainsaw Massacre even after being warned of imminent grossness) or I believe that it will not ruin the experience (or at least.. you know, not entirely).
District 9 had some shots I wasn't expecting and which had me averting my eyes and apologising to my aunt for asking to see this movie. Like the scene with Sharlto Copley's character beginning to lose his fingernails; and then later on, his teeth also started falling out -- nails and teeth are my two major freakouts, is it really too much to ask for a movie that gets a horrible point across without getting my stomach on a rollercoaster?

Secondly, I absolutely loved the aliens -- both as design and as characters. Moving on from the lean and graceful design (love at first sight!!), I was impressed by how well and how easily they had adapted to living on Earth. I suspect they had obviously been forced into setting up camp in D9, but they lived in their own community. Other than the scavenging issue and making/sometimes using weapons irationally, I doubt they were prone to much sudden, fatal violence (I have the feeling I just contradicted myself, but my point remains valid to me).
In fact I don't think I'm alone in liking Christopher the most -- he may very well be the most humane character in the whole movie.

Which brings me to my third point - I'm one of those last, rare moviewatchers that like watching movies for the sake of watching movies but still want to escape reality, rather than be confronted with it. I know what's going on in the world, really, so it's not like I'm sheltered and movies like District 9 shock me - I just prefer not to have to deal with these sorts of things when trying to escape them. Therefore, I had a small problem when dealing through the xenophobia and unwarranted violence towards the (mostly) non-hostile aliens. The part where Wikus 'aborts' the alien eggs and speaks about the 'popping noise' so nonchalantly really got on my nerves, and I kinda hoped that Wikus would just die.

What I think about the character of Wikus van de Merwe is that he is the naive, sheltered person I'm not. He really believes (up to a certain point) that what he does is done for a good cause, and that the aliens are really not worth being called anything other than 'prawns', which is how he calls them for a good part of the movie. Then, you know, things aren't all that rosy anymore, he gets sick, his arm is all tentacle-y, he's treated as a test subject (I got teary when he was forced to kill the alien when they were holding him in the lab, mostly because of the force of his own emotions); and then he's on the run from the people he used to trust and shacking up with Christopher and his son, rather than with a prawn and its spawn (I hear the term 'prawnling' in the fan community). This becomes his world, and his former concerns are now of absolutely no importance, when faced with actual racial (or species-based?) segregation and forced to learn how to survive as someone who is no longer human. Thanks to brilliant acting, Wikus remains human because of his experiences and what he learns out of them and most of all, thanks to his desire to remain human when humanity not only fails him, but turns against him.
This, kiddies, is what we call character evolution. So many movies miss out on this stuff, and directors and writers repeatedly fail to see how important it is to their audiences. Or, well, the part of their audiences that still want to see good movies.

Finally, I became thoroughly disgusted with and ashamed of the human race. This should be no news - anybody who's ever felt a pang of something not-so-nice towards another human being because of a social faux pas (calling someone by a derogatory term based on their appearance or other characteristics is just one example) knows exactly what I'm talking about.
All in all, District 9: I went in for the aliens and action. I got the aliens, the action was slow in coming (the first 30 or so minutes were tiring and boring (except for when aliens were on screen)) but was there eventually, and there was the unexpected bonus of food for thought, which I don't really get a lot of out of recent movies.

Plot --- from boring to 'oh God I love this movie' in approx. 1 1/2 hrs. --- 7.5/10
Visuals --- disturbing imagery, aliens, special effects --- 9/10
Sound --- the soundtrack is as dark and as gritty as the movie --- 10/10
Acting --- Sharlto Copley is fantastic as a human playing a human who becomes an alien (new talent, Hollywood!) --- 10/10