The Crying Game

The Crying Game is a wonderful example of what people wanted to see in a film in the early to mid 90s. This movie is perfectly made for the time it came out. By today’s standards this movie would not be as noteworthy. I do however find this movie to be extremely well made and have even gone to the extent of wanting to get a tattoo in reference to the story told by Forrest Whitaker. One of the best parts about The Crying Game is that when watching you feel as though you really are watching two completely different movies.

The first half of the movie takes place, for the majority of the time, in a room with Forrest Whitaker and his kidnapper, Fergus (played by Stephen Rea). We watch as a friendship emerges between the captor and captive. One where stories are shared, and laughs are exchanged. But when things do not turn out good for Forrest we follow the story of Fergus as he finds Forrest’s girlfriend to pass along a message. When the two meet, Fergus falls head over heels for this fine woman. But as always, things are not what they appear to be.

Filled with great acting, amazing soundtrack, and a killer twist, The Crying Game makes for a must see movie. Be warned however that this movie is from another generation and the pace of the movie is very different from that of movies that come out today. The Crying Game starts of with a bang and does not focus on setting up the story nearly as much as they do now. There are a few plot holes that could be fixed but over all, it is what I would expect from a movie from this time. I give this movie an 8.5 out of 10.

Iron Man

Iron Man deserves two different reviews, one for watch ability and another for production. I was lucky enough to watch this movie on a lap top with poor quality for the first time. I was really happy with the movie and more than excited to run to Fred Meyer to purchase the movie. While watching it I wondered what exactly happened between the first time I watched it the second time.


Iron Man is a great movie to see and I have told many to watch it. High action and grade A humor perfect for Robert Downey Jr.. With the perfect amount of action and comedy with the PERFECT lack of a love story this is a completely different type of super hero movie. It is a breath of fresh air with great acting and what I believe to be a great adaptation of a classic comic. On a scale of One to Ten of watch ability I give Iron Man a nine.


Now for the reason I am unhappy with Iron Man solely off of a Production scale, I am just not nearly as satisfied. There are a few moments in the movie where Tony Stark is filming his research and attempts but this video looks WAY too high quality to be a home research video. Yes Stark Enterprises has the highest quality of equipment but they need to adapt to the viewers and what we know. The excuse of money in movies is over used. There are several moments in the movie where you can tell the CGI is being used. Just too fake to be seen as a possibility. The production seemed a little rushed to finish this movie to be out in time for the season highlight. On a production scale I give this movie a six unfortunately.

Boy A

Recently to DVD is a personal favorite of mine, Boy A is a stunning movie that goes beyond just a movie and deserves to be called art. Andrew Garfield’s (Lions for Lambs) first major role as Jack Burridge is stunning. Enough so that his performance earned him a BAFTA for Best Actor. Other than Best Actor Boy A has received other awards such as, Prize of the Ecumenical Jury in Berlin, as well as BAFTAs for Best Director, Best Editing and Best Photography and Lighting.

Boy A is a movie about life and an attempt at a second chance after a mistake is made. After being detained in a Juvenal facility for fourteen years Jack is released under the cloak of secrecy back into society. As we follow Jack as he gets a job, makes friends, finds a girlfriend, and yes even drink for the first time as a free man; we are reminded of the crime that he committed as we learn through the use of flash backs what it was that he lives with every day. Jack is one of the most relatable characters out there right now. We have all made mistakes and you will find yourself rooting for Jack every step of the way. As the ending approaches it is evident of what will happen and somewhat predictable but it is not the big moments that matter it is what Jack does afterward that counts and what makes the movie that much better.

I do not want to ruin how the movie ends and don’t want others to ruin it for you as well. For that very reason I ask you NOT to watch the trailer as you see the last 10 seconds in it. This movie is one of those movies that is more than ruined by its trailer. For a little more than the cost to rent the movie you can purchased on Amazon under the new and used price, I found it new for eleven dollars. It is more than worth it, I even called in sick at work to go see it when it was a part of SIFF, the Seattle International Film Festival.

Day Zero

Day Zero is a movie about living and feeling alive when the worst possible mail arrives at your doorstep. Elijah Wood, Chris Klein, and Jon Bernthal are all best friends in New York City who unexpectedly get the mail one day to find that the Draft has been reinstated and they have been chosen for the "right" to fight for their country. With only thirty days on the clock to when they must report to Penn Station for duty they must accept that they may never see their loved ones again. With the one month count down already started, we follow the three friends as they come to grips with a horrible choice, fight for your country or fight for your choice.


Besides the fact that these three men would never be friends with each other in real life, as they seem not to have a past history with each other, they are great choices as they show a successful Lawyer (Klein), a struggling writer (Wood), and a taxi driver (Bernthal). Their chemistry together is astounding as their performance makes this unrealistic friendship seem acceptable. One thing that is nice to see, that is not seen in most movies, is that when having a small group of three close male friends that we see only a few times where all three are together, That they are friends separate for each other.


Wood's character is the one character that I feel had any connection with. He is told by his counselor to make a list of the top ten things he has always wanted to do and is told to do what it takes to achieve this list. Everything from skydiving to sex with a prostitute is on this list. We only see him achieve a few of these goals as this movie is NOT the Bucket List. Wood works hard to adapt to the thought of going to war but the best scenes with him in it are his scenes with his therapist where he talks about killing and fear of death. His character goes through the biggest changes over the course of the movie.


I would definately recommend this movie to anyone who likes dramas or Indie movies. It can be found at your local movie rental locations as it did come out in February of 2008. I picked it up for only 5 dollars on sale. This is more than worth it to see the acting and direction. Yes at times the characters seem to change rather fast and are hard to believe at times, but the strength of friendship does shine through. Thank you and have fun, I know you will enjoy it, if you do go out and see it please feel free to comment your thoughts about this film as well.