Reviews by Matt

I had fun doing this last year so I figured why not do it this year too. Below you will find my list of the top 10 movies of 2008. This is not a list of the best movies of the year mind you, it is is simply the best of movies I have reviewed. I have seen others, but I have not reviewed them. (Namely the amazing "In Bruges" and a smaller but still very good movie called "Red Belt" both of which are worth your time). Sadly, I also do not have the chance to see all the really good movies that come out. There are a bunch out now that I really want to see, but I will just have to wait until DVD for them. But let's face it, how many lists can you see the same movies on over and over before you get sick of seeing them. Look at this as your chance to see a unique look at the movies of the year.

10) Definitely, Maybe-This was my surprise movie of the year. I was not expecting to like this movie this much. It was more than your standard romantic comedy. It was not a will he end up with they girl story, it was a which girl will he end up with story. When I saw it I could not believe how much I liked this movie. It takes a lot for me to honestly enjoy a romantic comedy and this did it incredibly well.

9) Tropic Thunder-This one was tough to place. I this was really funny, but not as funny as the other comedy residing higher on this list. It was a satirical look at Hollywood and, ironically some of the actors are guilty of being the people they were mocking (Jack Black). I loved Robert Downey Jr as the method actor who gets his skin dyed so he can play a black man. He even stayed in character for the commentary on the DVD (which I have not heard yet). The one negative thing I have to say about it is that I think they thought the movie was funnier than it really was.

8) Cloverfield-I know people who hated this movie. I liked it for the unusual filming style: shaky hand-held camera. The idea of having a monster movie NOT be about the monster was a great idea and they pulled it off really well. If it had been filmed the traditional way, the suspense would have been gone. Yes, my neck was sore for a few days after because I kept straining it..I guess I was hoping that I could move the camera just by moving my head. Apparently that does not work.

7) The Bank Job-This is proof that Jason Statham can act, he just needs to pick the right movie. It was one of the better heist movies that I have seen. It was not about the heist, it was about what happened after. Not many heist movies take less than half the movie to show the heist in progress. On a personal note, this was my first review that was published in a real paper and while I was not a big fan of the review I wrote, it was still very cool to see it published.

6) Forgetting Sarah Marshall-The funniest movie I saw all year and, at the time, it was the funniest I had seen in a very long time. Jason Segal starred in and wrote a very funny movie that had some heart. The standout was Russell Brand as Aldus Snow. He was a cool idiot. He essentially stole Peter's girlfriend and yet Peter cannot help but like the guy. He is just so cool that Peter likes him even though he has every reason to hate him. Yes the movie was raunchy, but it had a point. It was not just about cursing and pushing the envelope, there is a little heart behind it. It makes this list because it was the funniest movie I saw this year and I actually went to see it twice in the theater. It was just as funny the second time as it was the first. The humor may not be for everyone, but it was just what I needed after a semester of so-so movies.

5) Iron Man-This was the best comic book movie since "Batman Begins" and would have been the best comic book movie of the year were it not for "The Dark Knight." Robert Downey Jr. was the perfect choice for Tony Stark. The origin story was one of the best in a while. The action was good, but the final battle was anticlimactic. The sequel has been given the go-ahead and will be out in about two years and I cannot wait.

4) WALL-E-Pixar does it again. They made a movie about a lonely robot with virtually no human voices and they made it interesting and fantastic in its simplicity. There is something sweet about the robot who has developed a personality and just wants someone to keep him company. If you read too much into it, the movie may seem like environmentalist propaganda, but that is a stretch. It is a kids movie. Do you really think that kids are going to understand that message? They are too busy watching a robot and laughing at his actions to realize any kind of message.

3) Slumdog Millionaire-This and the top two are hard to place. All are worthy of being put at No.1, but, for reasons I will explain, this is takes a respectable third. It is the ultimate underdog story. No one believes in this kid. He should not even be on the show, but destiny seems to want him to win the top prize. I loved the way it showed the question and how and where in his hard life he learned the answer. The character development was another high point--especially Jamal's brother, Salim. I had heard so many good things about this that I was worried it was not going to live up to the hype and happily I was wrong. It is both the classic underdog story as well as a classic love story and yet was more. Only one other time have I ever said "go see this movie." I don't like saying it because it takes away from the review. This time I have to implore you-Go see this movie.

2)The Curious Case of Benjamin Button-This is a new edition to the list. I saw it and I absolutely loved it. I placed "Slumdog" at number three because as much as I loved it, I was slightly disappointed. "Benjamin Button" on the other hand does not. It is close to three hours long and does not feel like it. It moves fast enough to keep it interesting, but still has great character development. The theme of the movie is even more uplifting than "Slumdog's" victorious underdog. What "Benjamin Button" tells you is that it is never too late to do start over and do what you want. All through the movie was see Benjamin doing things he wants and enjoys. He works on a tug boat and travels the world. He makes the most of his life no matter the age he looks or really is. While the full review may not be up until 09, this had to be added because it deserves recognition.

1) The Dark Knight-With out a doubt this had to be my number one. I was blown away by Heath Ledger's performance as The Joker and that is why it is at No. 1. I saw it in IMAX and loved it even more. It will get some Oscar nominations and I hope it gets some wins. Even with the pall of Ledger's death looming, the performance and the movie are brilliant. It has broken box office records, has racked up nearly one billion world wide and proves that a comic book movie can be smart. This is what happens when you get a smart script and great actors for the roles. I hope this gets at least a nomination for Best Picture and had better be a win for Ledger. This would legitimize comic book movies and mean that, when done right, can be more than just a box office success.

I am a movie buff. I look at many movie websites on a daily basis. I listen to movie/dvd podcasts. I keep myself up to date on all the big movies and movie news because it is something I enjoy. During awards season I read and hear about a lot of the Oscar hopefuls. This year the ones I have heard a lot about are “The Wrestler,” “Doubt,” “Frost/Nixon,” “Milk,” and “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” just to name a few. While I want to see all of these, none interested me more than “Slumdog Millionaire.”

Jamal Malik (Dev Patel) is just one question away from winning 20 million rupees on the Hindi version of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” He would be the first person to win the show’s top prize. By all accounts he should not be there. He is a slumdog. He grew up in one of the slums in India. Society does not expect much of him and he will not amount to anything. So how did he get there?

The answers to all the questions lie somewhere in his past. From watching his mother get murdered to life in an orphanage where he was exploited to make money to riding the rails with his brother to scamming tourists. In other words: destiny.

One of the things I loved about this movie was how it was edited. It is not something I usually talk about in my reviews but it played a huge part in my enjoyment of the movie. The movie opens with Jamal being questioned by the police. He is suspected of cheating. As is pointed out to him, doctors and lawyers have never gotten past 60,000. He and the police watch the tape of the show and the police ask him how he knew that. He then tells them how and the focus shifts to the past and we see the event in Jamal’s life where the answer was. I liked this shift in time and it made the story telling all the more interesting.

The only reason Jamal goes on the show is the hope that Latika is watching. Jamal, Salim and Latika live together when they are orphaned. Latika does not make the escape from the orphanage with them, but Jamal still remembers her. He runs into her a few more times as he grows up and still loves her as much as he did when he first saw her. One time he sees she is watching “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” and that is why he goes on the show. He hopes that if he stays on long enough that she will see him and they can be together.

Small side note. This should not have been rated “R.” There is hardly any offensive language and I have seen more violent and disturbing images in PG-13 movies—“The Dark Knight” comes to mind.

I was worried that the hype behind Slumdog Millionaire” would taint my viewing of it. I worried that if I did not like it that I was missing something. At first I was slightly disappointed, but as I thought about the movie I loved it more and more. I was able to enjoy it for what it was and see why the critics loved it. I can only recall one other time in over 100 reviews that I have ever said that the reader should see the movie. I like to let them decide that for themselves. Not this time folks: go see this movie. You will thank me later.



9 out of 10
Rated R for some violence, disturbing images and language.
120 min

I can remember when I went to see “Casino Royale.” It was a 10 p.m. showing right before Thanksgiving break. I had no expectations for this movie. I had not really liked the last few Bond films and did not think this would do anything to help. I did not think Daniel Craig was cut out to be James Bond. He was never struck me as a guy who could pull it off. I was wrong. I loved it and not only was it one of my favorite Bond movies; it became one of my favorite movies. That brings me to “Quantum of Solace.”

As hard as it is to usually write a coherent plot synopsis, this is going to be damn near impossible. I have no real idea what happened, but I will so my best. After the death of Vesper, Bond (Daniel Craig) is out for revenge. He is willing to fight whoever he has to in order to get to the people responsible. Lot of action, other characters are introduced, some other stuff happens and it leads to Dominic Greene (Mathieu Amalric). Greene is a humanitarian (or so it seems) who has found a natural resource and wants to control it.

That is what it boils down to.

I knew this was not going to be as good as “Casino Royale.” That being said, this was, at best, a decent movie. I enjoyed the action and the elements of the story I could understand, but that was about it.

Craig was good as Bond. That was never in doubt. He continues to give Bond a Jason Borne-inspired grittiness. He is as likely to use his fists as his mind to get out of trouble.

The Bond girls were underused, which was the case in the majority of the other Bond movies. Vesper was a great Bond girl, she had a purpose for being there and has substance. Sadly in this movie they are nothing more than eye candy.

Bond girls I can understand, but when you have an actor the caliber or Jeffrey Wright. He returned as CIA agent Felix Leiter.
Wright is a great actor and he had nothing to do in this movie. I cannot even really tell you why the CIA has a part in this movie (not for fear of spoiling the movie, but because I really don’t remember). I do think he will have a larger part in the next movie because of the events that end the movie.

I wish that this had lived up to the hype of its predecessor, but it falls far short. The plot is hard to follow and it wastes a lot of potential. There will be at least two more with Craig and hopefully they can redeem this less-than-stellar second outing.

I just have to vent one more thing-the song for this movie was the absolute worst I have ever heard. It was really hard to sit through the opening credits, which are usually interesting to watch. And can someone watch the movie and explain to me what the title means?

6 out of 10
Rated: PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, and some sexual content
Runtime: 1 hr 46 mins

There has yet to be a Pixar movie that I have not liked. They can do no wrong and this summer they took a huge risk and it paid off. That movie was “WALL-E.” It is over 40 minuets until a human voice is heard yet it is still one of the best Pixar movies.

Wall-E is a robot whose only purpose is to clean up trash. When the earth has become too crowded with people and trash, humans leave and head out into space. There is just one thing they forgot: to shut down WALL-E. Left alone on earth, WALL-E does what he is programmed to do: clean.

Over the years he has developed a personality and started collecting things he found interesting in the trash. One day a ship lands and drops off EVE. This new robot fascinates WALL-E and he falls in love. EVE has been sent to earth to see if it can sustain life.

There is more to it, but I am just going to leave it at that.

I need to say right off that “The Incredibles” is still my favorite Pixar movie, but this came damn close to knocking it down to number two.

The fact that they made this movie as amazing as they did is just proof that Pixar can do no wrong. The movie is made up of sound effects. There are human characters but they make up a small percent of the movie. WALL-E, EVE and the other robots are the stars and they do not speak. With the exception of names and a few various words, it is all sounds.

The movie looks great too. Its movies like these that make me wish I had a Blu Ray player. I can only imagine how it looks in high definition.

How Pixar manages to raise the bar with every movie continues to astonish me. Ever since “Toy Story” they have shown what an animated movie can be. Few movies can even come close to the beauty in story, character and look of a Pixar movie. I do not know what they have in mind for their next project, but I look forward to it with great anticipation.


9 out of 10
98 min
Rated G

The last time I reviewed a CD, I trashed it. It was a lot of fun, probably the most fun I have had while writing a review. This time thought it is different. I absolutely love this CD. Not only is the first CD that I have bought in years (with iTunes and other less legal means there is no need to go out and buy a CD) and it was worth it. The band is Band from TV and their first album “Hoggin’ All the Covers” is simply amazing.

I could give you details about the band, but instead, since I am digging this video thing, I will let Greg Grunberg explain:


This is not your typical band. The band members are actors who are using this as a way to raise money for charity. The band consists of drummer Greg Grunberg (Mind reader Matt Parkman on “Heroes,”) pianist Hugh Laurie (House from “House”) James Denton (of “Desperate Housewives” fame,) on guitar and singers Bob Guiney (from “The Batchlor”,) and Bonnie Somerville who gained fame as a singer with her song “Winding Road” on the soundtrack for “Garden State.”

These are not just actors who are doing this just for more fame. They are great at it and all the money from this CD/DVD goes to the charities they support.

The highlights of “Hoggin’ All The Covers” are many. I love every track on the album. Each shows the talent that these actors have. The songs reflect a range of tastes and styles ranging from country to rock to R&B.
Somerville has an amazing voice. It shines in her renditions of “Piece of My Heart” and “Lean on Me.” The latter, showcasing Laurie on piano, is one of the best on the album and one of the best versions I have ever heard.

Some of the other highlights are Laurie’s “Goodnight Irene,” and Denton’s “Papa Loved Mama” and the closing track “Shake Your Tailfeather”

All the tracks are great. Each shows just how talented they are. They are having fun and you can hear that in the songs and the banter between songs. It is a rare thing for me to buy a CD and this one was worth it. I know the money I spent is going to some good causes. On the DVD that accompanies the CD, there is a feature where Grunberg talks passionately about his experience with autism and why he chose to support Autism Speaks.

Rarely do I buy a CD, mostly because there is nothing worth listening to, so when I do it has to be something special. This is worth it and it makes it even better that it goes to charity and not to paying for a new gold plated toilet