Movie-Movie-Movie

PAN'S LABYRINTH (DVD)
Richly imagined epic with PAN'S LABYRINTH, a gothic fairy tale set against the postwar repressions of Franco's Spain. It combines a historic and moral themes, Pan's Labyrinth unfolds through Ofelia's eyes, a dreamy little girl who is uprooted into a rural military outpost commanded by her new stepfather. Powerless and lonely in a place of unfathomable cruelty, Ofelia lives out her own dark fable as she confront monsters both otherworldly and human.

This really Alice-in-Wonderland-type for adult. I cried at the end. ;(
Very sad, unexpected ending...Directed by Hellboy's Guillermo de Toro, I give 4 1/2*



BORAT (DVD)
Sacha Baron Cohen - star of HBO’s hit comedy “Da Ali G Show,” takes his outrageous Kazakstani reporter character Borat to the big screen. In this hilariously offensive movie, Borat travels from his primitive home in Kazakhstan to the U.S. to make a documentary. On his cross-country road-trip, Borat meets real people in real situations.

This sarcastic-realistic-cruel-real-comedy man. He is BORAT, from Kazakstan (i failed my geograpy class-where the hell is this place-?). Leaving his native Kazakhstan, Borat travels to America to make a documentary. As he zigzags across the nation, Borat meets real people in real situations with hysterical consequences. His backwards behavior generates strong reactions around him, exposing prejudices and hypocrisies in American culture. In some cases, Borat's interview subjects embrace his outrageous views on race and sex by agreeing with him, while others attempt to offer a patriotic lesson in Western values. Wa-wa-wee-wa!

Hilarious. Jaw-dropping. Inflammatory. Dangerous. Subversive. Borat, a satirical Kazakh journalist caricature invented and portrayed by Sacha Baron Cohen, has been called all this – and more. Borat became a phenomenon in the U.K. with the comedy series "Da Ali G Show," in which Baron Cohen's outlandish humor and razor-sharp satire on anti-Semitism, misogyny and racism, came to life through his creation's bizarre behavior and interviews.

Watch this movie -turn upside down for sure! hahaha... 4*


EPIC MOVIE (DVD)
The story centers on four grown-up orphans with very diverse backgrounds. One was raised by a curator at the Louvre, the second escaped from the perilous world of Mexican lucha libre style wrestling, the third survived a harrowing encounter with snakes on a plane thousands of feet in the air, and the fourth was once a member of the X-community. Together, the hapless foursome finds a ticket to Willy’s Factory, where they discover a shocking secret: Willy has been using orphans as a tasty, secret additive to his candy. Fearing that their lives are in danger, the quartet stumbles onto an enchanted wardrobe. When they peek inside, they are magically transported to the vast, far-away land of Gnarnia, where they meet a flamboyant pirate captain, some disturbed students of wizardry, and a wise-but-horny lion. Soon they realize that their troubles are only beginning when they learn of the evil White Bitch of Gnarnia that rules the land.

If you love Scary Movie, you surely love this 2 1/2*

300
In the ancient Battle of Thermopylae, King Leonidas and 300 Spartans fought to the death against Xerxes and his massive Persian army. Facing insurmountable odds, their valor and sacrifice inspire all of Greece to unite against their Persian enemy, drawing a line in the sand for democracy.

Based on the graphic novel by Frank Miller and Lynn Varley, 300 takes over the screen like an invading horde. With all the gushing blood of a horror movie and the scope of a classic epic, the second film from Zack Snyder (who helmed the 2004 remake of DAWN OF THE DEAD) is an impressive visual spectacle. Gerard Butler (THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA) plays Leonidas, the king of ancient Sparta. The city is famous for its warrior philosophy, and Leonidas won’t kneel to the demands of Persia's King Xerxes (LOST's Rodrigo Santoro). Instead, Leonidas leads his 300-strong army against Xerxes's army of millions. Meanwhile, his wife (Lena Headley, THE BROTHERS GRIMM) campaigns in Sparta for the city to send reinforcements as she butts heads with the treacherous Theron (Dominic West, THE WIRE).

With its gore and scale, 300 marks director Snyder as a possible successor to Peter Jackson's throne. Jackson also got his start in horror with BAD TASTE and DEAD ALIVE, and the two men share a penchant for ambitious battle scenes. The huge fights in 300 rival Jackson's efforts in the LORD OF THE RINGS films. David Wenham, who starred in two of the Tolkien-based films, plays Dilios, one of the Spartan soldiers. Though the cast doesn't boast any A-list stars, the actors ably fill their larger-than-life roles. In a film filled with men, Headley stands out as Queen Gorgo. She matches her warrior husband in strength, while showing love toward Leonidas and their son. Though there are scenes that demonstrate the humanity of the characters, 300 is undeniably about bravery and blood, and it succeeds because of the stylish depictions of both.
4 1/2*