Apocalypto

You think after the Mel Gibson incident that they would have renamed this movie M.G.'s Apocalypto. I'm shocked that they put his name in such large letters above the title of the film. I guess what they say is true, "even bad publicity, is good publicity". Critics have hailed this movie as an astonishing portrayl but for me it was a journey through mediocrity.

The movie is definitely well-written, well-acted, and well-directed. The issue I had with the movie was the ending. I'd say I was going to rate the movie pretty highly until the last 10 minutes of the movie, which I rated poorly. So if you average those out you get mediocrity. Which is too bad too, because the ending could have easily been redone to make the movie great, earning it a 8.5 out of 10 from me.

I know all of the other critics have all touched on it, but the movie definitely is very gorey and very graphic. It's like National Geographic crossed with the surgery show from TLC. Between Touristas and Apocalypto, I've learned more about human anatomy than my high school biology class ever taught me.

Rating: 6 out of 10

The Nativity Story

If you want flash, grand special effects, glitzy dance sequences, or a roller-coaster suspense movie, don't see this film. If, however, you are searching for a simple and fresh telling of an age-old story, this movie will pleasantly surprise you. The entire strength and power of this film relies heavily on the realistic portrayal of not only Joseph and Mary, but also of their friends, family, and community around them. Directors Catherine Hardwicke, Harvey Harrison (II), and Andy Lumsden put every effort into what could be called no less than a labor of love. It is a very new perspective on seeing what happened right before the birth of Jesus, which has not typically been done.

Every scene, every detail of each shot was done painstakingly to take the viewer into the world and what it must have been like to live 2000 years ago. No running water, no smooth highways, or McDonald's - basic survival was a great accomplishment in such harsh times. What softens the movie is the portrayal of the transformation of Mary. From a mischievous teenager into a young woman, she manages the pressure of being the mother of someone so important quite gracefully. Joseph also is believable with an understandable initial denial, feelings of betrayal, and finally acceptance into his destiny. The relationship development between these two into a loving, supportive and giving one is a wonderful process to watch. Despite very real emotions of any expectant parents, they struggle physically and spiritually to get by through the challenges that are forced upon them. You can identify with every feeling they encounter. And yet, you feel somehow comforted, knowing these two modest, fundamentally good people were selected for the job of a very special parenthood.

This is a definite must-see for this time of year. If you get caught up in the chaos and stress that can be Christmas during this holiday season, take a couple of hours and relax to remember what we are truly celebrating...the joy that is in the ultimate, priceless gift of love.

Rating: 8.5
by Red Rob, the Guest Critic

Turistas

This movie was like watching a combination of MTV's Real world mixed with Eli Roth's Hostel. The movie has great beginning where a bus driver speeds along a small, mountain road making our tourists very uncomfortable as he flies around the corners. Then their worst fear comes true as he swerves to avoid hitting some people and sends the bus to the edge of a cliff where the passengers have to climb out of the windows before the bus tumbles down the hill. The rest of the first act involves the tourists finding a hidden beach and club where they drink and dance the night away.

Act II is not as standard as far as college-kids-get-murdered plots go. They have a freaky encounter in a small time and befriend a man who takes them to their death. Along the way they go cliff diving, swimming, and spelunking (like I said, not your normal slasher flick). Act III is just the stuff a typical horror movie are made of as they dissect, fight, and run from the captors. The finale takes place underwater and is so-so. At least they don't throw in a stupid ending where they set it up for a sequel.

The movie all-and-all was like a poorly done remake of The Descent (which I enjoyed a whole lot better). This film was still well made, had decent actors, and had some unconventional elements in the plots. All of these things help make the movie at least enjoyable to watch.

Rating: 5.5 out of 10.

The Fountain

Well, the critics had a field day with this one. I don't think I've read very many reviews where the critics gave this movie a postive rating. They all said the same things: great acting, horrible story. Well I would beg to differ. I would even go so far as saying that this is the best film of the year (for me at least).

Now I know this is one of those films that I really enjoyed but that I know most of you will not. So without getting to far into this review I'm going to recommend that you not see this film. I think I only like this film because I have seen far too many movies and my perspective of what is a good film and what is not is not the same thing as what I think people will enjoy and what they will not. So you have been warned, you will probably not like this film.

I, on the other hand, thought the story was beautiful and touching. I love the story of the past, because it was written by his dying wife, and her dying wish was for him to finish it. That's very touching to me. I like the conflict in the story of the present, because it talked about what is really important in life and what we need to put our energy into and our focus. And then the metaphysical aspect of the movie, though a bit off from the rest of the film, was still very beautiful and visually stunning and did try its best to tie the rest of the story together.

I believe that Darren Aronofsky is one of the greatest new directors to Hollywood, and my hope is that he will continue to breathe new life into the stagnant movie landscape.

Rating: 9.5 out of 10