DVD - Megamind

or: Anti-heroes saving the day.

One word to sum it up: Delightful.

Along with Jennifer Aniston romantic comedies, films about artificial insemination, Iraq war dramas and claustrophobically-themed thrillers, movies which have the anti-hero becoming the hero have been a particular trend-setter in Hollywood these days. We saw it in The Social Network. We saw it in Despicable Me. The next movie to adopt an unlikeable character as the lead is Megamind, one of the lesser animated movies from 2010. In a year filled with such amazing animated efforts like Toy Story 3, How to Train Your Dragon and Tangled, Megamind was somewhat forgotten, and it was no where near as good as those three, but it's still another example of why animated movies rule the roost.

Super-villain Megamind (Will Ferrell) has defeated his good-guy nemesis Metro Man (Brad Pitt), and has found that life is tedious since he no longer has anyone to fight. So instead, Megamind creates a new foe, in the form of Titan (Jonah Hill). Titan has a different idea, though. He uses his new powers to destroy the world instead of be a hero like Metro Man was. So Megamind, now faced with the wrath of this powerful new villain, he has to save the world himself instead of destroy it, and get the girl (Tina Fey), who thinks that he is someone else.

There is absolutely nothing new about Megamind. If I were to compare this to anything else, I would say that this is exactly like Despicable Me without the cute kids and with a love interest. It even has a 'minion', so that comparison is hard to avoid. That's not to say that this is a bad movie. Like most other animated movies, this movie has a delightful cast, wonderful visuals and a few great laughs. The vocal cast is brilliant. I love Will Ferrell when he is voicing animated characters more than I enjoy his actual acting, as his over-the-top dramatic vocal work is actually quite funny and well suited to this. Tina Fey, the funny woman she is, also does beautiful voice work as the heroine. Brad Pitt's role was surprisingly small, but I did quite enjoy his performance. His character was a stand-out, too.

Being originally made in 3D, the visuals were of course great. I did feel that the visuals were similar to those in Monsters vs. Aliens, which highlights further that this movie has regurgitated a lot of material from it's far better predecessors. As would be expected of a kid's movie, the laughs were particularly large, even though many could be restricted to an older audience. If one has seen a lot of animated movies, especially those from Pixar, they might feel a little underwhelmed by the result of this film. It is forgettable, but it's quite an enjoyable watch, and one that should by no means be ignored. If you've seen Despicable Me, chances are you'll enjoy watching an exact copy of that one.

THE VERDICT: Megamind is much like any other animated film, in the way that it doesn't add anything unique and it's still extremely enjoyable.

What I hoped for:

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
What I got: (just)

Classic--V for Vendetta

or: Remember remember the 5th of November...

One word to sum it up: Explosive.

Yeah, most people would probably remember this film as the one where Natalie Portman has no hair. Can I just say that she still looked stunning? She wasn't the only stunning thing about V for Vendetta, though. I've really been getting into these dystopian movies of late, and the vision that this movie has for the future is a strange, but extremely vivid one. Basically, it is set in a futuristic Britain, which is controlled by a fascist government and normal society has become powerless. Evey Hammond (Portman), a normal working class girl who is saved by a masked person called 'V' (Hugo Weaving), becomes the person who could save her country by bringing down the overpowering government. As she learns more about V's past, she starts learning more about herself and the part she plays in doing justice for her country, and decides to form an ally with him to carry out his plot.

I love stories like this. I guess you could say I like to see a world that is far from the one we are living in. I thought the vision that V for Vendetta had for the future was a very believable one, since the government's power over Britain is one which isn't too far from our imaginations at all, since pop culture has been trying to push this theme on us and there are those haunting memories from past wars and stuff like that. But out of this vision came a charming tale of heroism and living life without fear, beautifully played out through the character of Evey. She's an unlikely heroine, but with the help of the charismatic V and a great performance from Natalie Portman, she becomes the symbol for a person who has let go of everything and tries to define the line between good and evil, even though she never really defines herself as either of those.

While I feel the film was slightly let down by a slow first half, I truly think this is a masterpiece of modern filmmaking. It seems to push all the boundaries, and doesn't stop at being a political allegory, it's also a visually stunning action film too. The fight scenes are really well done, and have some great colour and vibrancy added into them. It's what I would expect from a film written by the Wachowski brothers. I also really enjoyed the characterisation of V. While he isn't given any identity, he feels quite rich in personality, with his charismatic speeches. Given he has no physical appearance, it is hard to view him as a character as such. He becomes a symbol, if anything. A symbol of hope and freedom. But at the same time, he is a symbol of evil and violence. Which helps add a depth to the story which is constantly trying to figure out what is good and bad. Sorry if this is starting to sound like an English essay...it's that time of year.

If you don't want to be a brainless blockbuster, then what should you be? A thought-provoking film rich with underlying themes. This film succeeds with that when it delves into a story about a lesbian woman who was taken simply because the government felt that her type was not needed in their country. This story was unbelievably well written, and serves as a message to our current world: accept differences and move on. I always felt the movie was at its best when it was focusing on one life affected by this struggle, whether it be Valerie's, Evey's, or V's. When the film gets to it's final act, it is an astounding, uplifting spectacle which truly does go out with a bang. It's amazing what I felt at the end of the film. It may sound stupid, but I felt like I had been freed by this movie. I suddenly felt a rush of hope. Too few films do that for me.

THE VERDICT: V for Vendetta is as thought-provoking as it is visually stunning, which nicely compliments a brilliant characterisation of a masked man who really doesn't have an identity.

What I hoped for:

What I got:

DVD--Machete

or: Killing people!!!

One word to sum it up: Violent.

Who knew that the fake trailer shown before Grindhouse would make a full length film? Well well well, amazingly, it did make a movie lasting 100 minutes. Machete. You'd think, from Robert Rodriguez's previous attempt at malevolent violence with Planet Terror, he'd go absolutely full on here. And, well, he did. You know a film really doesn't take itself seriously when five people get their heads chopped off in the first five minutes. But the problem is, even though you can't take the film itself seriously, the film actually seems to take itself seriously.

I expected a lot of fun from this film, which certainly came through in it's non-stop violence, but it all seemed so unhappy. Maybe I'm too young to get all the jokes or something, but this film seemed almost too set on trying to be good instead of awesome. I wanted awesome, not a bloody critical delight. Somehow, though, this film won positive reviews from the critics, which leads me to wonder how it got there. It's a good, entertaining film, but it's just not as outrageously funny as I had hoped it would be. However, Robert Rodriguez did a perfectly good job of capturing an old, grotty style of action violence which was pretty fun to watch. Heads were severed, bodies were chopped in half and that end fight was pretty damn exciting. Did any of it make sense? I can't say I got the entire gist of it, mainly because of all the characters coming in and out of it, but what did you expect from a movie like this?

The story is really messy, even though it seems perfectly straight forward on paper: Machete (Danny Trejo) was betrayed and set-up by his boss, resulting in his wife and child being murdered by drug kingpin Torrez (Steven Seagal). Now, in Texas, Machete resurfaces when hired to assassinate Senator McLaughlin (Robert De Niro), an extreme advocate against illegal immigration. Once again betrayed and set-up, Machete plots his revenge against the men who've wronged him with the help of resistance fighter Luz (Michelle Rodriguez), ICE Agent Sartana (Jessica Alba), and the shotgun-toting Padre (Cheech Marin). Yeah, it's pretty average material. Considering the Z-grade nature of the project, it is just right. Robert Rodriguez seems to have a lot of fun putting as much cheese as he can in this story. Which is cool, because cheesiness is damn entertaining to me.

The characters are all pretty interesting, even though the only really outrageous one is Machete. Danny Trejo, who has been a zillion straight to DVD movies which I've never even heard of, is a perfect fit for this character. He's a character of very little words, which makes him wildly interesting to watch as he runs around on his little mission. And of course, he and I have something in common: "Machete don't text". His support is okay, but again, with the quality of this feature, the acting doesn't really matter. Robert De Niro is back (again) and is still the best actor alive, even if he hasn't got the material to back that opinion up. Jessica Alba is perhaps a little more deserving of her Razzie win for this one than she was for The Killer Inside Me, and is pretty forgettable. Steven Seagal is in his first theatrically released movies in God knows how long. Michelle Rodriguez is Michelle Rodriguez, plain and simple. Lindsay Lohan was one of the people I really had a problem with, though. I don't know how her character had any relevance to the story at all. Then again, an appearance from actress Lindsay Lohan is always good.

It's clear, with the over-the-top violence, messy storyline and barrel load of characters that Robert Rodriguez had fun making this film. I, for one, loved the style in which this film was made. The real problem was the fact that the movie wasn't amazingly fun to watch...it all seemed a bit dreary.

THE VERDICT: It shouldn't be taken seriously, but Machete tries very hard to be serious, which is precisely the problem with this otherwise violent, messy, Z-grade feature which packs some real punches.

What I hoped for:

What I got:

DVD--Due Date

or: Not the next The Hangover

One word to sum it up: Harsh.

In 2009, Todd Phillips directed a movie called The Hangover. You know, it was just a small movie, and seemed to get plenty of positive reviews from the critics. Many people say that comedies just aren't funny any more, and most of them aren't, but when The Hangover came out...wow, now that was funny. Everyone really got a kick out of watching three men run around Las Vegas trying to find their groom-to-be best buddy. And hey, that movie was damn good. The pay off and everything...it was truly one of the funniest mainstream R-rated comedies to come out in ages. Last year, it seems like Phillips was trying to cash in on his success with that film by writing and directing Due Date, which again saw Zach Galifianakis in a strange role and had a couple of men running around to get to a certain point - this time, the birth of a baby. Instead of living up to the reputation he'd built up with The Hangover, Phillips proved that it's difficult to make a follow up just as great.

Taking a stab at road trip comedies like Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Due Date makes some fun by putting two unlikely companions together in a car to make the trip across America. Peter Highman (Robert Downey Jr.) must get to LA in five days to be at the birth of his firstborn. He is about to fly home from Atlanta when his luggage and wallet are sent to LA without him, and he is put on the "no-fly" list. Desperate to get home Peter is forced to accept the offer of Ethan Tremblay (Zach Galifianakis) to hitch a ride with him cross-country. Peter is about to go on the most terrifying and agonizing journey of his life.

The comparisons between this and The Hangover are almost inevitable. It's as if after the success of that film, Warner Bros. forced another comedy out of Todd Phillips and told him to make it in next to no time. The material wasn't brilliant, and could have used a couple more drafts before something decent came out of it. Luckily, they got two very likeable stars: Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis, along with some support from Michelle Monaghan, Jamie Foxx and Juliette Lewis. The only problem with having all this talent on show is the fact that there aren't very likeable characters to go with them. Robert's character, expecially, is absolutely horrible. Like, I'm sure he was just supposed to be mean for comedic effect, but he came across as just being horribly mean...everything he said was like a giant insult. Normally, a horrible lead character might be okay if it is backed up by a likeable one. While I admired Galifianakis effort, his character was just a tad annoying. Yes, they were an unlikely pair. But they were so unlikely that they just didn't gel.

Due Date just felt like the same kind of thing repeated over and over. One minute, you felt like Peter and Ethan were getting along. The next minute they weren't. One minute everything was fine. The next minute something terrible was happening. It just repeated this formula over and over, which came to be quite tiresome for me. There was actually a lot of violence and physical harm in this movie, and I felt like they may have been getting away from the point there. There wasn't a lot of happiness, or any memorable quotes, which are two things a good comedy just had. Instead, there were a couple of scenes which stood out and made me laugh quite a bit (both of which are in the trailer). The ending was nice enough, but a little of what I've come to expect from movies like these. Due Date could have really made use of it's lovely leads and it's gifted writer/director. But unfortunately, it was pretty obvious that this was just riding high on the success of The Hangover.

THE VERDICT: Due Date is an under-done, joyless ride, and a major disappointment. Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis remain likeable, though, even if their characters were not.

What I hoped for:

What I got:

DVD--The Ghost Writer

or: The Ghost who uncovers things.

One word to sum it up: Intriguing.

If I were to say 'Roman Polanski', people not so up with the film world (and his classics such as Rosemary's Baby and Chinatown) would probably only know one thing about him: that infamous rape scandal. In a way, that thing alone makes The Ghost Writer, his latest film, an even stronger one. You see, during the making of this film, he was put under arrest. He finished editing the film from a Swiss prison and continued making all the artistic decisions while he was under house arrest. And even though Polanski wasn't able to set foot in America due to extradition, he made this film look as American as it possibly could have been. With all these problems, Polanski managed to make a pretty flawless looking film, and perhaps one of the best films from last year.

It's based on Robert Harris' novel 'The Ghost', but it's also been called for the several similarities it has with the story of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. An unremarkable ghost-writer (Ewan McGregor) has landed a contract to shape the memoirs of Adam Lang (Pierce Brosnan), the former UK Prime Minister. After dominating British politics for years, Lang has retired with his wife (Olivia Williams) to the USA. He lives on an island, in luxurious, isolated premises complete with a security detail and a secretarial staff. Soon, Adam Lang gets embroiled in a major scandal that reveals how far he was ready to go in order to nurture UK's "special relationship" with the USA. But before this controversy has started, before even he has closed the deal with the publisher, the ghost-writer gets unmistakable signs that the draft he is tasked to put into shape mysteriously forms highly sensitive material.

I admit, political thrillers aren't really my cup of tea. When I see those words, it's like someone hit the snooze button in my brain. The Ghost Writer, on the flipside, gave my brain a good rattling. While it could be a bore for someone, I found this movie rich and intense, directed by a guy who knows how to make a good thriller. What makes me mad is the fact that this film was completely ignored come Oscar time. For example, Alexandre Desplat did a far better job with the music in this one, but he got all the acclaim for his work in The King's Speech. His music here contributed to an old-style kind of theme that makes this a suspense nearly in the league of Hitchcock. It's the kind of movie that will keep you guessing until the very end. And the tension just builds and builds. Slowly, but surely. The final shot, to me, is an absolute killer.

Leading the film is Ewan McGregor, who has had a spot in my heart since he was Christian in Moulin Rouge!...and what a great leading man he is. He plays a character simply known as 'The Ghost', but he anchors the film with his likability and vulnerability. And he was a far better choice for the role than Nicolas Cage. Pierce Brosnan made amends for his singing abilities in Mamma Mia! by playing the PM figure Adam Lang just the way a good actor should. Kim Cattrall takes a break from Sex and the City to do what she was born to do: be a good actress. It was strange seeing her in a dramatic role, but she did it well. Even if her American/Irish/Scottish/British accent was a little off the mark. The standout of the movie? Olivia Williams, by miles. Gosh, I loved her in this movie. She was so quietly horrible, and she just stole the show with her characterization and skill. She's the second biggest reason to watch this film after the all-round awesomeness that makes this film a definitive must-see.

THE VERDICT: The Ghost Writer is an excellently made thriller which is both intriguing and intense, with some great performances from it's cast and brilliant direction from Roman Polanski.

What I hoped for:

What I got:

Cinema--Never Let Me Go

or: Living a life set out for you.

One word to sum it up: Depressing.

Last year in social studies we did a debate about the 'ethics of death' and whether it was okay to have children born solely for the purpose of donating organs. This was a topic which completely baffled me. Was it okay to have a life cut short just for the comfort of others? Or did the others who really needed it have to have these kind of people around so they could have a shot at living? This argument was one which I had questioned such a long time ago, but after watching Never Let Me Go, I started to wonder about this again. All I know is, this movie has opened me up to a world which I never want to see happen. What these people go through is simply unfair.

On the surface, Never Let Me Go appears to be a film about a love triangle between friends Kathy (Carey Mulligan), Tommy (Andrew Garfield) and Ruth (Keira Knightley). The three spend their childhood at Hailsham, a seemingly idyllic and very organised boarding school. Kathy has always been interested in Tommy, but Ruth, who is quite manipulative, starts a relationship with Tommy, and Kathy quietly wishes that they would separate. But this love triangle is but a small factor of their lives. They live the life that they have planned out for them, and all the while protect themselves for the well being of others. All they have to do is prepare themselves for the haunting reality that awaits them.

Having not read the source material (I am going to very soon though), I can't make the comparisons and such between the two. The premise is a very intriguing one. To be perfectly honest, I wouldn't be able to live in a world knowing that someone has been cloned to benefit others, and these people were all locked away from the real world. Forget all the apocalyptic BS going around at the moment, this idea right here scares me. I would never want to live my life having it all planned out for me. And to be honest, I'd hate to live without making choices for myself. This is what makes this movie so sad. The children of Hailsham are treated like they aren't humans and they don't have souls. That just broke my heart.

Alex Garland has had a very interesting career. He started off by writing the novel for the much maligned movie The Beach. Then he wrote the screenplay for another Danny Boyle movie, 28 Days Later... He reteamed with Boyle again for sci-fi thriller Sunshine. These three movies all have something in common with Never Let Me Go. The Beach features another world which is so far away from the real one, much like Hailsham and the normal day-to-day life we would know. 28 Days Later... takes a look at not only science, but sacrifice and again, a different sort of world. Sunshine looks at the decisions people make for the greater good of others, and the choice to make the world exponentially better. Sure, the kids don't save the sun or whatever, but they bump life expectancy up a hell of a lot. Never Let Me Go is by far the most restrained of Garland's work, and while I felt that a great deal was missing from the screenplay, his work in capturing the poor lives of these people was brilliant. Mark Romanek provides a beautiful fluidity to the film, with brilliant cinematography and music to boot. Romanek made the right choice going with this one instead of The Wolfman, that's for sure.

While the screenplay required a bit more work, the actors ensured that things kept chugging along. Firstly, the actors chosen to play the three main characters as children were perfect. If I didn't know any better, I would have thought that their 'originals' were really Mulligan, Garfield and Knightley. Carey Mulligan, coming off the back of her stunning Oscar nominated performance in An Education won my heart over as the understanding Kathy. She was just so innocent and so relaxed. Keira Knightley, an actress who has dropped off the radar a bit of late, makes a good turn in this film. Her character was quite confounded and somewhat annoying, but Knightley pulled off these traits beautifully. But for me, Andrew Garfield stole the show. He was adorable (and I don't mean just looks wise). He was just so confused by it all, and Garfield paid attention to every single detail of this interesting character. After all, this man was the reason I cried so much. Just thinking about Never Let Me Go right now makes me feel so sad. Thought this would be a typical romantic drama for two? Think again. It's not for everyone, but it was definitely right for me.

THE VERDICT: A bleak tale with an interesting premise, the script may not complete the film, but all round, this is as depressing as they come. The performances are well done beyond compare.

What I hoped for:

What I got:

DVD--The Town

or: Cops and robbers.

One word to sum it up: Nice.

The Town has such a pretty cast. Ben Affleck as an actor and a director is pretty. One of my most favourite actresses Rebecca Hall is pretty. Blake Lively is pretty. Jon Hamm is beyond pretty. And Jeremy Renner, well, what can I say...I become more interested in this man with every role he takes. So they all come together, with the brilliant Pete Postlethwaite (RIP) in another small but scene stealing role, and make a movie about bank robbers with the cops on their tails. Methoughts it would be pretty awesome. Methinks The Town was actually a bloody awesome movie.

One may go into this film expecting a gritty action thriller, and you will get exactly that, but you will also get a nice romance as well. The romantic duo come in the form of Doug MacRay (Ben Affleck) and Claire Keesey (Rebecca Hall). She is an innocent bank manager who lives in Charlestown, and has just had her bank robbed. He, unbeknownst to her, is a bank robber and the one who robbed her bank. They form an unlikely relationship, which endangers the world he is currently in. His friend and fellow robber, James 'Jem' Coughlin (Jeremy Renner) believes that she might screw things up for his group of robbers and gets increasingly worried about what she told the FBI and that she may be able to identify them. It's not long before Adam Frawley (Jon Hamm), the head of FBI's investigation, has found a link to this group, and they start to realize that death or prison are their only ways out of Charlestown.

This is a story often told: a girl and a guy falling in love even though one half is shrouded in secrecy, a man trying to make a break from his past life and make a new one, and the one last job which changes everything. It's not new material, but there is something about The Town which is really special. I can't quite put my finger on it, but this movie was really well done. Ben Affleck may have had his highs and lows as an actor, but with this, his follow up to the much acclaimed Gone Baby Gone, he shows that he is a very capable writer and director. Almost too capable, if anything. Here he captures the right atmosphere, making a dark surrounding for dark characters all praying for some light, but never quite reaching it because of their surroundings pulling them back in.

As well as being an insightful drama which looks into the lives of criminals effortlessly well, The Town also succeeds at being an action film, too. There are a few great chases and sequences within the film which are done with blockbuster flair. I like how this movie has a deft blend of genres: drama, romance and action. It never gets tired, and is always interesting. From a girly perspective, I really liked the romance in this film, since they weren't trying too hard to capitalize that. It just shows that a romantic story can be good when you don't try too hard. Deep down, though, this is a mans movie, which is okay for the girls, too. Now why wasn't this nominated for more than one Oscar?!

The characters and performances within the film are brilliant. Affleck, who didn't stop at writing and directing duties, is superb in the leading role, but it's really his supporting stars who shine. Hopefully Rebecca Hall will become better known for her role in this: she was amazing (as always) and so sweet, I couldn't help but feel she was a stand out. Jon Hamm, why you so sexy? He was good, too. Blake Lively was beyond great in this. I really never knew how far she'd be able to go as an actress, and she really pushed her limits here. Even though her role was one which could have easily been omitted, she made the most of her opportunity. Pete Postlethwaite, quite frankly, terrified me as Fergie. How is it that he could just steal the show in a few short scenes? He was simply such a great character actor, and really showed that here, in one of his last films. However, the man who scored The Town's only Oscar nomination was Jeremy Renner, who was magnificent here. Following on from his superb nominated performance in last years The Hurt Locker, Renner takes on another character who can't live with out violence. His presence is violent and scary, but there is still enough of a story in the man to make you like him. Let's just hope that Renner keeps up the roll he's been on of late, because I just can't seem to get enough of him.

THE VERDICT: The Town may not have the most original story, but the way it is made and performed is a brilliant example of fine filmmaking. Ben Affleck should just keep writing and directing movies.

What I hoped for:

What I got:

DVD--The Killer Inside Me

or: Violence...lots of violence.

One word to sum it up: Disturbing.

The Killer Inside Me has everything going for it. It is based on the acclaimed novel by Jim Thompson. It stars Casey Affleck, Kate Hudson and Jessica Alba, who gave particularly good performances. It is helmed by Michael Winterbottom, who also directed A Mighty Heart. It's attention to detail and stylish direction is really fantastic. However, the film itself was so empty. So, so empty. There was just a lot of killing, and when there wasn't a lot of killing there was a lot of sex, and when there wasn't a lot of violence and sex there was...um, not a lot. And, for me, violence and sex can't make a movie work.

The problem with living in a small town is the fact that everyone thinks that they know everyone. But in this case, no one really knows who the true Lou Ford (Casey Affleck) is. On the outside, he appears to be just a normal sheriff's deputy. On the inside, however, he is a disturbed man with a killer instinct. After beating a prostitute (Jessica Alba) he was sent to run out of town, he visits her for daily sex and decides that he may be in love with her. But he is also in a relationship with Amy Stanton (Kate Hudson), who he decides he will elope with later. Just for now, though, he is happy killing people, and as the murders pile up, signs start to point to the seemingly innocent Mr. Ford.

Lou's story is an interesting one, but unfortunately the fact that it is told in first person from his point of view causes a bit of a problem. Because Lou is so unlikeable it makes the film so hard to connect with, and pretty much lost me from the very beginning. It's a good idea, and looking into the mind of a killer is an intriguing way of telling the story. But there's such distance in the character, which just really confused me. There wasn't a clear explanation as to why he did what he did. He was just doing all this stuff and I was like "he is completely nutters!" That, alone, isn't much of an explanation for me. And that was the reason why I didn't find this film as good as I had hoped it would be.

Though the scripting, characters and context are all out of line, there is some amazing cinematography to look at. Gosh, this film was decadent. There is so much attention to detail and Winterbottom was clearly trying to make a classy noir, but there was just everything else which stopped it. I haven't read the source material, but from what I've heard it was supposed to 'unfilmable'. Winterbottom filmed the hell out of it...the actual material just didn't come to the party. However, this film is brutally violent. Not the gruesome kind of violent, just the really painful to watch kind of violence. Both of the leading ladies are involved in this, and it is so horrible to watch that you really start to question what kind of movie this is trying to be. My guess is that, with the amount of sex in this darn thing, probably a porno for sadistic people.

Casey Affleck is also a great reason to watch. His dedication to looking like a cold blooded killer was scary. From what I've seen of him, he looks like a pretty sweet guy, but here is completely devoid of sweetness. He's like the serial killer of the year. Kate Hudson is brilliant. Forget all that romantic comedy stuff she's been doing lately...she is still a fantastic actress. I really liked Amy, too, even if I felt she wasn't really in the movie enough. I don't even know why Jessica Alba won a Razzie for her role in this (but that was helped by her performances in Machete, Valentine's Day and Little Fockers). Sure, at some points she was weak, but she displayed a lot of talent in her role. Simon Baker and Elias Koteas also provided fantastic support. With the performances and direction being top notch, The Killer Inside Me failed to impress me on so many levels, and I just felt like I was watching a very psychotic movie with absolutely no heart.

THE VERDICT: Take the connectivity out of a movie and not even great performances and direction can help it up...The Killer Inside Me is just so empty.

What I hoped for:

What I got: