The Dark Knight Earns T.I.M's First "A"

The Dark Knight
Seen July 18th @ Midnight
Clearview Cinemas in the Preakness Shopping Center

By Daniel Scillieri
Personal Grade: "A"

Hello Again! The critics here at Talkinginmovies are back after taking an extended break. We apologize to our fans for the lack of reviews in the recent months. To kick off our return, I am going to review the new champion of the box offices, arguably the best superhero film ever and the FIRST "A" grade on our website, THE DARK KNIGHT....

Christian Bale returns to the screen as Bruce Wayne in this HIGHLY anticipated summer blockbuster. Director Christopher Nolan adds Maggie Gyllenhaal (Rachel Dawes) and Aaron Eckhart ( Harvey Dent / Two Face) to strengthen the cast of Batman Begins' Sequel. But without a doubt, the most talked about addition to the film was Batman's arch-nemesis The Joker, played by the late Heath Ledger. The story takes place 1 year after Batman launches his crusade to clean up the streets of Gotham City. Crooked cops, city officials and lawyers are running for the hills as Batman, Commissioner Gordon and newly elected district attorney Harvey Dent take the fight to the criminals. The fight on crime appears to be gaining momentum in favor of the heroes until The Joker decides to give Gotham a new type of criminal. From the opening scene of the movie, there is action, adventure, and everything you would expect from two titans of the DC Comics universe.

The Pros:
This paragraph may be long...The Dark Knight earned it's "A" grade on so many levels. As stated earlier, from the moment the movie starts until the end credits show up, the film just keeps getting better. Besides the amazing action sequences and death defying stunts, The actors are what really gave this movie its greatness. Christian Bale not only plays Batman well, he also presents the stuck up playboy Bruce Wayne better than ever before seen. He arrives late, to his own party, in a helicopter with 3 beautiful women on his arms. That is vintage "Prince of Gotham" for those comic readers out there. Next, Aaron Eckhart's performance as Harvey Dent and eventually Two Face really showed the type of actor he is. He goes from the proclaimed "White Knight" character of Harvey Dent, to the split personality madman known as Two Face. He really plays both extreme parts so well, it was like there were two different actors. Now for the real deal. Heath Ledger was criticized and openly bashed after being selected to play the role of one of comic's greatest villains. One of the biggest arguments was "how could he compare to Jack Nicholson" who played the Joker in the first Batman movie. This was said to be impossible and fans doubted the success of the movie and Christopher Nolan's skills as a director for this alone. In my opinion, Christopher Nolan wasn't trying to replace Jack Nicholson's amazing Joker performance. Instead, he redefined the type of character the Joker really was. Instead of the killer clown who had a permanent smile from an accident involving chemicals, this new Joker had scars that represented a smile. The character was much darker and screamed the demented psychopathic killer that the Joker really is. These movies are presented not from the comic book aspect, which Jack's Joker nailed perfectly. Instead The Dark Knight presents what a real life Joker would be, a deranged madman who gets his laughs from inflicting the most pain and destruction on an already crippled city. Heath Ledger's performance should get an Oscar nomination and anyone who says differently has not seen the movie. Now there is so much more about the movie I can try to explain, but it won't do it justice, a perfect example of this is the "Magic Pencil Trick" scene. For those of you who saw it, you will understand.

The Cons:
For our first "A" movie, this film had almost ZERO cons... The one thing I would of liked to see more of was the Joker laughing a bit more. Some scenes he breaks out the classic laugh and I openly said to my friends "that is perfect joker!" Another minor detail, which didn't really hurt the film in my opinion, was the choppy fight choreography. Some fight scenes seemed very staged and didn't have the fluid movement that the protector of Gotham has. All In All, those are just two personal opinions that barely, if at all even, effect this amazing movie.

In Conclusion:
Go See it! Finish reading this review and go see it yourself, then post a comment. Christian Bale signed on for at least 2 more Batman movies and is taking the character to a whole new level. This is my vote for the best movie of the year, it is the highest grossing movie during its opening weekend, passing the former champion Spiderman, with a massive 155.3 Million Dollars... GO SEE THE DARK KNIGHT!!!!!!!


Heath Ledger,
you redefined one of my favorite villains, your death is truly a tragedy that I didn't feel until the end of the film. It saddens me to think you can not continue to play The Joker...Rest In Peace.

Iron Man

Rated::
PG-13

Genre::
Action/Adevnture/Sci-Fi/Thriller

Cast::
Robert Downey Jr. - Tony Stark/Iron Man
Terrence Howard - Jim Rhodes
Jeff Bridges - Obadiah Stone/Iron Monger
Gwyneth Paltrow - Virginia 'Pepper' Potts
Leslie Bibb - Christine Everhart

Plot::
Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is the CEO of Stark Industries which produces advance weapon systems for the U.S. military. Tony's father started the company after WWII, and after his death Tony inherited the company, worth billions. Tony lives the life as a hard drinking, rich playboy ladies man, but he is also a genius who has invented many high-tech items for the company. Tony flies to Afghanistan to demonstrate a new weapons test to the United States Air Force. On his way back to his plane, his convoy is attacked by terrorists, and Tony is wounded by a Stark Industries missile. Tony is captured and held hostage in a cave with Yinsen (Shaun Toub), a doctor who saves his life. The terrorists force Tony and Yinsen to reproduce the new destructive Jericho missile Tony was demonstrating from parts of other weapons. Instead, Tony decides to build a suit of armor with Yinsen's help. The suit gives Tony the strength and protection to be able to escape the terrorists. Back in America, Tony builds a better suit of armor which gives him superhuman strength with the ability to fly. With the help of his personal assistant Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) and Air Force Lieut. Colonel Jim Rhodes (Terrence Howard), Tony vows to protect the world as Iron Man.

I Am Legend

Rated::PG-13
Genre::Drama/Horror/Sci-Fi/Thriller

Cast::
Will Smith - Robert Neville
Alice Braga - Anna
Charlie Tahan - Ethan
Salli Richardson - Zoe Neville
Willow Smith - Marley Neville

Plot::
It is the year 2012. In the ruins of New York city. Robert Neville who is a military scientist who is the lone survivor of a biochemical disease which was supposed to cure cancer 3 years previous. With only blood thirsty zombies as his neighbors and his trusty dog, Samantha, Robert is trying to discover a cure for this disease and to find out any other people who might have also survived.

Cloverfield

Rated::
PG-13

Genre::
Action, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Cast::
Lizzy Caplan - Marlena Diamond
Jessica Lucas - Lily Ford
T.J. Miller - 'Hud' Platt
Michael Stahl-David - Rob Hawkins
Mike Vogel - Jason Hawkins
Odette Yustman - Beth McIntyre

Plot::
Cloverfield follows five New Yorkers from the perspective of hand held video camera. The movie is exactly the length of a DV Tape and a sub-plot is established by showing bits and pieces of video previously recorded on the tape that is being recorded over. The movie starts as a monster of unknown origin destroys a building. As they go to investigate, parts of the building and the head of the Statue of Liberty come raining down. The movie follows their adventure trying to escape and save a friend, a love interest of the main character.

Rambo

Rated::
R

Genre::
Action, Drama, Thriller

Cast::
Sylvester Stallone - John Rambo
Julie Benz - Sarah Miller
Matthew Marsden - School Boy
Graham McTavish - Lewis
Reynaldo Gallegos - Diaz

Plot::
In this latest Rambo installment, John Rambo has retreated to a simple life in a rural Thai village near the Burmese border, capturing snakes for local entertainers, and transporting roamers in his old PT boat. Following repeated pleas, Rambo helps ferry a group of Christian aid workers into war-torn Burma, where the local Karen villagers are regularly tortured and massacred by Major Tint's sadistic soldiers. The humanitarian mission is going well, until the village is attacked and the missionaries are kidnapped, and Rambo is once again asked to transport - but this time a group of mercenaries, assembled by the missionaries' minister on a deadly rescue mission. This time he doesn't stay behind.

RAMBO!

Daniel Scillieri

Personal Grade: C+/B-


For anyone who has grown up in the last 30 years, one of the biggest action names in the industry has been JOHN RAMBO. This series promises explosions and ridiculously high kill counts and one of the most bad ass heroes ever. The fourth installment of the Rambo series doesn't miss a beat in the action packed, one man vs. an army genre. Sylvester Stallone, age 62 remember, plays the character just as well as he did almost 20 years ago. Now the personal grade may seem a bit low, but do not be fooled this movie kicks some serious ass in the ridiculously big gun, unlimited ammo, over sized knife, unstoppable killing machine style that only a few can pull off. So here is the Pros and Cons of RAMBO...hope you enjoy

THE PROS:
What is not to like about this movie, If you are a fan of action films this is a MUST SEE. John Rambo has once again fallen off the social grid and is trying to find peace in a lifetime of war. Following the story of his life, he can never seem to escape what he is, an ultimate killing machine. The beginning of the movie starts off slow but once Rambo agrees to take a group of missionaries to a war zone up river, the action really takes off. One scene, he drops half a dozen pirates before you can blink an eye. From that point on, it is one crazy action sequence after another. The biggest thing you notice in this movie is the realism of bullet's impact. Everyone who gets shot or hit by a mortar falls to pieces. Some of the guns are huge and it literally tears people to pieces. This gives a very graphic but realistic sense to what a high powered weapon would probably do to a human body. Rambo joins a group of hardcore mercenaries after hearing the group of missionaries he dropped off have been attacked and the ass-kicking begins. The team sneaks into the camp to free the survivors, silently killing multiple guards and are back out in less than 15 minutes. Not to bad for hired guns and an aged special forces soldier. One of the guards gets taken out by Rambo in a very gruesome way that made me whisper to Scott "well that would not of been my first quick kill option but effective non the less." The next morning all hell breaks loose when the surviving soldiers discover their prisoners are missing and the hunt is on. This leads up to one of the best all out gun fights in recent cinema history with Rambo laying suppressing fire down with a turret mounted machine gun and one of the mercenaries head shotting everyone he sees with a 50 caliber sniper rifle. Yes, their heads would definitely explode like that. This extended action sequence which starts off with a ridiculously huge explosion (a favorite action event of Team Talking In Movies) fits perfectly into every expectation of RAMBO. One last thing, Rambo's Skill with a High Powered Bow...WOW!

THE CONS:
The cons begin to build up even before you enter the theater. The idea that Sly Stallone is remaking all his great films but at a much older age makes you hesitant from the start. It almost prevents you from having a positive outlook on the movie, similar to what happened with Rocky Balboa. Once you get passed that aspect of the film, minor events of the movie were the only thing that held this action films's grade down. The classic action film "unlimited bullets" makes an appearance, allowing the heroes to drop a ton of enemies without ever reloading. Fans of the Rambo series (including myself) missed the special forces combat knife, which was replaced by a crude self made machete. I was hoping to see the classic Rambo scene where he holds a massive machine gun in one hand, the chain of bullets wrapped around his other arm, and accurately hitting dozens of bad guys while screaming the infamous Rambo war cry. A series of quick silent kills, showing Rambo's training would of been a very good addition, similar to Rambo 2. Eddie Boza (Head of The Team Talking In Movies office in Florida) agreed with me by saying a showdown between Rambo and a super soldier brute would have been an amazing addition to the film. Who doesn't love when the hero takes on a giant bad guy who can't be beat in a 1 on 1 death match. The final con I had with Rambo is more comical than a flaw. As said earlier, everyone in the movie who gets killed literally crumbles under the fire of bullets and explosions. When Rambo gets hit by the same bullets he is mauling people with , it cleanly goes through and doesn't leave him in pieces. He simply just covers it with his hand and doesn't seem to feel pain. Man, Rambo is such a Bad Ass


To wrap things up, Rambo definitely gives you your fix of action and gore. Those who are fans of non stop gunfights and hardcore soldiers will definitely walk out of this movie with a smile on their face. Though it may not be a good movie to take the kids or a date to but going with a bunch of friends is an excellent viewing choice. I suggest going to see it on the big screen, and I will definitely add it to my collection of great action films. Thanks for checking out Talking In Movies, Hope to see you again soon..


Special thanks to Rick Bencivenni (Talking In Movies Trainee) and the woman in the lobby who served me my delicious White Cherry Slushie, it makes the movie better.

A Four Leaf Cloverfield

Daniel Scillieri

Personal Grade: B/B+
viewed: Saturday January 19th 1:30 at Loews


YES WE ARE BACK!!! We here at Talking In Movies apologize to our fans for our extended absence. We decided to get back into the movie going groove and go see the highly talked about "Cloverfield".
Cloverfield is a science fiction thriller/ horror movie that can be best described as The Blair Witch Project combined with Godzilla. The movie takes place in present day Manhattan where the main character Rob Hawkins, played by Michael Stahl-David, has a surprise "going away" party in his honor. During the celebration, his brother Jason Hawkins(Mike Vogul) and best friend Hud Platt (T.J. Miller) decide to film testimonials from all of his friends who want to say goodbye. After some standard party drama, the entire building is shaken by a freak "earthquake" and the suspense begins as the the guests witness mysterious explosions in the distant New York skyline.

THE PROS:
I definitely liked the unorthodox style of camera work this movie presented. Like stated earlier, this movie had the elements of The Blair Witch Project due to the fact the entire movie was shot through a hand-held video camera. This added a sense of fear and excitement as in some shots of panic and screaming you couldn't really see what is going on. Certain parts give you a clear view of why the entire city is in chaos but other times the camera is literally staring at a wall or the street. Throughout the entire film, the growing sense of terror at this unstoppable force that is devastating N.Y.C. is very lifelike and locks you into the film. This aspect of fear alone gave this movie's grade a serious boost. The movie left several things unexplained but in a strange way it helped. Not knowing where the monster came from or how it could be stopped were just a few things that race through your excited mind. The acting in the movie was done very well, each character presented a genuine level of fear and emotions. Hud Platt, who was the cameraman for the majority of the film also threw in some very funny lines at certain times that not only made you laugh but gave the film a greater sense of realism.

THE CONS:
For the entire duration of the movie, only very minor things didn't sit well with me. Certain things such as one of the characters running through the city in designer high heels just made me shake my head. Another example of classic " SURVIVOR STUPIDITY" (as stated in previous reviews by Talking In Movies)is the main characters decide to race through a New York that is ravaged and infested by monsters WITHOUT A WEAPON! Even if there was a stick on the ground, it would have been in my hand just in case something terrible came around the corner. One of the more ridiculous events of the movie that bothered me was the overall lack of urgency, efficiency, and resources of the United States Military. The monster was freaken ENORMOUS, it tore through every building it came close to and it looked like the National Guard was the only armed forces to respond. Back to the monster being huge, the military had some of the worst accuracy I have ever seen. Several scenes of the movie show stray rockets zipping past or a building behind the massive creature blowing up. I just think that if this were to happen in real life, every known resource of the U.S. Military would of been unleashed on this thing. That leads to my final minor detail that just didn't feel right. The beast dropped several littler monsters to attackthe city as well. These creatures, while scary and tough, were killable by conventional weapons. The big monster on the other hand, seemed invincible. While it made the creature definitely scarier, I just don't think our technology, with tank-buster missiles and special weapons to kill people deep underground, is so primitive that it can't pierce this thing's skin. One more quick note, where can I buy a super indestructible with an extra long battery video camera?


To wrap things up, Cloverfield earns its grade of B/B+, leaning towards the B+ half. The unorthodox camera work mixed with an unstoppable giant monster in New York City makes this movie a must see in early 2008. Solid acting and visual effects leave you wondering what you would do if some unknown thing came to Earth and began destroying everything in it's path. If you have a strong stomach (the entire movie could easily make you nauseous with all the shaky camera work) and love a good action thriller than Cloverfield is a MUST SEE movie.


Special Thanks to Rick Bencivenni, honorary guest of Team Talking In Movies.

Instant Legend

I Am Legend

Daniel Scillieri

Personal Grade: B+


The grade alone should speak for this Will Smith movie. I enjoyed it from beginning to end. I Am Legend is the third movie make of the classic book I Am Legend. The earlier being "The Last Man on Earth" and "The Omega Man". Each movie follows the same story line that in the near future a global outbreak destroys more than 90% of Earth's population. In this recent remake, a scientist develops a cure for cancer which in-turn becomes this terrible virus that turns the infected into vampiric monsters they call night-seekers. The movie jumps 3 years into the future and Will Smith, who plays Robert Neville, is the last survivor in New York City. With his awesome dog Sam, he searches the city through the day for supplies and food, but when his watch alarm goes off he returns to his home, which is transformed into a small fortress. Throughout the movie Robert Neville has several flash backs of when the military decided to close off the Island of Manhattan, which shows the mass hysteria that was settling in. Survival is not his only goal in the movie, Robert Neville, who is immune to the virus, is also an expert scientist and is closing in on a cure for this infection. In his high tech lab, he experiments with infected rats and even captures an infected human subject. This movie is packed with action, adventure, and suspense that keeps you locked onto the screen. Here are the Pros and Cons of Will Smith's I Am Legend

Pros:
There are a whole bunch of things I really really liked about this blockbuster hit. The first few minutes of the movie really capture your attention by showing you a deserted New York City. Wild animals and Weeds cover the once busy streets of this major city. The camera work and effects it must of required to make NYC become desolate is jaw dropping. You really feel for Will Smith's character has he tries to maintain a "normal" lifestyle in a world where he has not seen another living person in over 3 years. He talks to mannequins, rents DVDs, even plays recordings of Good Morning America. When nighttime comes he closes the steel shutters on his windows and doors as he tries to sleep with the horrible moaning and screaming of the infected. For the majority of the movie, Will Smith is the only actor on the screen, but that does not slow him down from giving an excellent performance. One of the better scenes of the movie is when he is chasing down a herd of deer in a ridiculously nice Mustang GT500. One of the deer escapes into a very dark building and the dog Sam chases it into it. This suspenseful scene is the first time you see the infected humans as they chase both Will Smith and the dog back into the light. As the story goes on, you begin to see that isolation is really beginning to take its toll on Robert Neville. His constant search for other people who are immune and the cure for the disease begins to drive him mad. Through out the entire movie you are hooked on what will happen next and ask yourself " how is he going to get out of this" or "will he ever find the cure". The suspense and roller coaster of emotions throughout the movie make it incredibly entertaining.

Cons:
For a movie with a personal grade of B+ it had a few minor details or things that made me question a bit to much. There was just a few too many unexplained events or ridiculous things that held it back from an A grade. First, I would of really liked to see more of the spreading virus. You see the initial panic as thousands of people try to evacuate the city but after that it just jumps to the dying world full of the infected. I think a scene of people being attacked, zombie style, would have really given the movie an excellent boost. The next thing that didn't sit will with me in the movie was the infected humans. Did the virus give you super human strength, super agility and made you almost indestructible. The infected are still human beings but had the ability to run full speed into a steel car without a scratch on them. They could bash their head through a bullet proof door without crushing their skull after easily scaling up the side of a building. It added a sense of fear to the situations but made it a bit to ridiculous. Another question that came to my mind was "what did they eat". WIth the large numbers of infected and low numbers of animals and humans, I feel they would have eventually ran out of food and possibly even turned on themselves. Another minor thing that bothered me about the movie is whenever his watch alarm went off, it seemed there was a missing sense of urgency. The alarm would sound and he would slowly walk back to his car then slowly go into his house and that was that. The second that went off I would of been MOVING! Now the movie was very entertaining, but things like that just held it back from being very realistic and believable. Yes it is a movie, but the idea of a global infection is not a new thing.

Conclusion:
I Am Legend is definitely worth the price of a ticket. The entire movie keeps you very entertained and when the credits come up you are in awe. While a bit scary for the kids, it is a movie that anyone can enjoy. Action and thrills give this great movie a solid B+ grade. Go see it and Let me know what you think...Till Next time, so long from Team Talking In Movies


Favorite Quote of the Movie
" I can help. I can fix this. Let me save you. I can save you; I can save everybody."


A special thanks to Joe and Jeanette Boz, thanks for coming with me to see the movie and helping me find eggs on the menu.

Gone Baby Gone

Rated:: R
Genre:: Crime/Drama

Starring::
Casey Affleck - Patrick Kenzie
Michelle Monaghan - Angie Gennaro
Morgan Freeman - Capt. Jack Doyle
Ed Harris – Det. Remy Bressant
John Ashton - Det. Nick Poole
Amy Ryan - Helene McCready

Plot::
Dorchester, one of the toughest neighborhoods in all of Boston, is no place for the weak or innocent. Its a territory defined by hard heads and even harder luck, its streets littered with broken families, hearts, dreams. When one of its own, a 4-year-old girl, goes missing, private investigators Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro don't want the case. But after pleas from the child's aunt, they open an investigation that will ultimately risk everything -- their relationship, their sanity, and even their lives -- to find a little girl-lost.

No Country for Old Men

Rated:: R
Genre:: Crime/Drama

Starring::
Tommy Lee Jones - Sheriff Ed Tom Bell
Javier Bardem - Anton Chigurh
Josh Brolin - Llewelyn Moss
Woody Harrelson – Carson Wells
Kelly Macdonald - Carla Jean Moss

Plot::
Violence and mayhem ensue after a hunter stumbles upon some dead bodies, a stash of heroin and more than $2 million in cash near the Rio Grande.