cactus i.v.

By MIA MOVIEFILM
cactusiv(at)gmail.com
In one week I saw three different movies: Batman, Mummy 3 and Mamma Mia. I rate Batman as the best, then Mamma Mia and then the Mummy.
Heath Ledger did such an amazing job as the Joker, I saw the Dark Knight twice. It’s a shame these actors can’t be happy with their fame […]

By AMY GEORGE
When I was younger I was obsessed with movies, so much so that I think my parents should have worried about me becoming a lifelong recluse. I would lock myself in my room for hours, watching movie after movie only emerging to eat or drink in order to keep myself alive. I would […]

By MIA MOVIEFILM
cactusiv(at)gmail.com
I saw Hancock last weekend because the boyfriend wanted to see it. I wanted to see The Strangers but the closest theater playing it was a good 40 minutes away, so I settled.
I’m not the biggest fan of Will Smith… actually the only thing he has going for him is his ears (I […]

By Ty Freer
ty_freer(at)yahoo.com
For the first time in my NBA-loving life, I really have no idea who will win the NBA title. Thanks to the “Will the NBA Live CPU let me get away with this ridiculous trade?”-like last couple of weeks, genuine stars (albeit generally of the washed-up category) for suck teams (whose levels of […]

By CAITLIN HANVEY
caitlinhanvey(at)gmail.com
There Will Be Blood, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson (Punch Drunk Love) lives up to its name. Blood flows freely throughout the film, not only in death but also in the ties that bind. The creation and destruction of family and the differentiation between a family of choice and […]

By LISA SOKOLOWSKI
cactusiv(at)gmail.com
Don’t tell James, but I think Heath Ledger is gorgeous. That scene in 10 Things I Hate About You, when he’s singing down the bleachers, oh gosh, it made my heart happy. Heath Ledger is this beautiful man — despite the fact that my old friend’s friend apparently smoked weed with him once […]

Jagshemash!
Sasha Baron Cohen has told a British tabloid that he is retiring his alter egos of Borat and Ali G. The two characters have become all too popular with the public and his comedy sketches with the characters are based on impromptu interaction with the public.
Many fans have grown to love the characters, especially Borat, […]

By ANDREW STEEVES
steeves(at)uwm.edu
Of all the classical fantasy series, I enjoy The Golden Compass trilogy (alternately known as His Dark Materials) the most. Phillip Pullman writes with a skill unparalleled by other “great” authors. He creates a world of richness and depth without boring them to tears like Tolkein; he contemplates […]

By CAITLIN HANVEY
caitlinhanvey(at)gmail.com

of five
Coming of age dramas are often plagued with angsty teens following a well-trodden path to rebellion. Juno, the new film from Jason Reitman (Thank You For Smoking) explores many of the familiar teen movie themes without ever resorting to saccharine clichés — and that is a harder feat […]

By CAITLIN HANVEY
caitlinhanvey(at)gmail.com

of five
When I walked out of the new Coen Brothers film No Country For Old Men, my first instinct was to go back and see it again. This amazing film, adapted from the book by Cormac McCarthy, is essentially a thriller and yet it surpasses that simplistic description. It […]

By CAITLIN HANVEY
caitlinhanvey(at)gmail.com
Danish director Susan Bier specializes in portraying ordinary people in stressful situations. Her past films, Open Hearts and Brothers, both deal with the breakdown of relationships and family dramas, and After The Wedding (2006) is no exception. The amazing thing is that Bier is able to take a melodramatic plot and infuse it […]

By CAITLIN HANVEY
caitlinhanvey(at)gmail.com

of five
[[Ed.’s note: Caitlin is our new movie reviewer. This is her first week taking over for Michelle L.]]
While it is hard for anybody (besides the Sudanese government) to deny the genocide currently occurring in the region of Darfur in the Sudan, what is not hard is for many in the western world […]

By MICHELLE L.
satine81(at)gmail.com

of five
Black Snake Moan (2007) is a tale about how pain can bring two people together.
Christina Ricci (of The Addams Family and Penelope) plays Rae, a nymphomaniac who goes out of control when her boyfriend Ronnie (Justin Timberlake of Alpha Dog and Shrek the Third) leaves her to go into the […]

By TYLER DURDEN’S STALKER
cactusiv(at)gmail.com
You know Paris Hilton — unless you’ve been living under some type of universe blocked by Britney Spears.
Anyway, Paris has had quite a week. First, she got boo-ed at Scream 2007, an awards show that honors horror movies (and, really, isn’t Paris a walking talking horror flick?). Then, the trailer for her […]

By MICHELLE L.
satine81(at)aol.com

of five
As a child of the ’80s, I remember the Transformers TV series being on when I was a kid. I didn’t really get into it much, being that I did not have any brothers (my sisters and I were more into Jem). However, I’ve always felt this odd need to […]

[[Ed.’s note: This just posted on online-writing-jobs.com. If you’re interested, let me know]]
Do you wear out your Netflix subscription? Do the workers at Blockbuster know you by name? Well, then I have a job for you.
My webzine — www.cactusiv.com — needs a movie columnist. Our current columnist is leaving, and we need someone to fill […]

By MICHELLE L.
satine81(at)aol.com

of five
In Evan Almighty (2007) Steve Carell (of The 40-Year-Old Virgin and The Office) plays Evan Baxter, a TV news anchorman who becomes a congressman because he wants to change the world. Little does he know that he is about to be offered that opportunity by the big […]

By MICHELLE L.
satine81(at)aol.com

of five
A modern version of the classic Hitchcock film Rear Window (1954), Disturbia (2007) interprets the act of voyeurism for the digital age.
Anyone who has seen Rear Window starring Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly knows the basic plot of the film. Someone who is confined to their house relieves their boredom by […]

By DIZZ TATE
dizztate(at)hotmail.com
Hello, my lovelies! How are we all? Please tell me, as my comments have been in short supply recently! *hint hint*
Anyway, the fashion advice for this week spirals around a very interesting film I happened to see recently, Across the Universe. Has anyone else seen it {besides Michelle L., the movie columnist here […]

By MICHELLE L.
satine81(at)aol.com

of five
Anthony Hopkins as the bad guy! Hmmm… sounds familiar. But Silence of the Lambs (1991) was way better.
In Fracture (2007), Ed Crawford (Anthony Hopkins of Silence of the Lambs and Proof) shoots his wife (Embeth Davidtz of Bridget Jones’ Diary and Junebug) when she comes home from a night on […]

By MICHELLE L.
satine81(at)aol.com

of five
Across the Universe (2007) is set against the backdrop of the ’60s. It is essentially a love story between Lucy (Evan Rachel Wood of Thirteen and Down in the Valley) and Jude (Jim Sturgess of Mouth to Mouth and Crossing Over), two teenagers who meet each other in a time when […]

By MICHELLE L.
satine81(at)aol.com

of five
In 2001, an investigation by the FBI was underway to find the identity of a possible mole within its organization. For over ten years, the bureau had been investigating suspicious leaks that, among other things, had caused the execution of two Soviet officials who had been secretly working for the FBI. […]

By MICHELLE L.
satine81(at)aol.com

of five
The story starts with Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg of Shaun of the Dead and Grindhouse) training to become a police officer. He is dedicated, obsessed and focused on becoming the best police officer on the force. When he is stationed in London, however, he is so good that he puts […]

By MICHELLE L.
satine81(at)aol.com
Blades of Glory (2007): 4 out of 5 stars
I may have said this before in reference to Will Ferrell movies: They are hit or a miss with me. I either hate them hardcore (Talladega Nights) or it ends up being one of my favorite movies (Stranger Than Fiction). Now, which is Blades of […]

By DIZZ TATE
dizztate(at)hotmail.com
Has anyone else noticed how many fantasy movies are out lately?!! It’s so strange, how you don’t really have a true fantasy movie apart from Harry Potter for about three years, and then suddenly, “WHAM!” there are dozens. I have expressed my opinion before that the film does incidentally affect the street fashion […]

By MICHELLE L.
satine81(at)aol.com
The Nanny Diaries (2007) is introduced to the audience as an anthropological case study, specifically a study of the child-rearing methods of women throughout history. The case study is being narrated by Annie Braddock (Scarlett Johansson of Lost in Translation and The Black Dahlia), a recent college graduate from New Jersey who […]

By MICHELLE L.
satine81(at)aol.com
Notes on a Scandal (2006)
The film is narrated by Barbara Covett (Dame Judie Dench of Mrs. Henderson Presents and Casino Royale), a history teacher at a high school in London. Her narration is based on what she writes in her diary, the only outlet she can turn to in order to share […]

By MICHELLE L.
satine81(at)aol.com
The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)
Warning: This film depends on the build up of suspense, so to fully appreciate this movie, you should see it before you read my review. For those of you who don’t mind spoilers, another warning: in this instance, political intrigue is a lot more interesting on screen than paper. : […]

By MICHELLE L.
satine81(at)aol.com
Bridge to Terabithia (2007)
In creating an imaginary world where obstacles cannot stop them, two young children learn how to conquer the real life obstacles that can.
Jess (Josh Hutcherson of RV and Firehouse Dog) is a shy eighth-grader whose only pleasures are running and drawing in his notebook. […]

By MICHELLE L.
satine81(at)aol.com
Linda and Jim have the perfect life: a beautiful house, two lovely daughters, and their whole lives ahead of them. But one fateful day is about to change all of that.
Linda Hanson (Sandra Bullock of While You Were Sleeping and Crash) wakes up on Thursday to find out […]

By MICHELLE L.
satine81(at)aol.comZodiac (2007)
A murderer haunted the streets of California for several years in the 1970’s. This is the story of the men who became obsessed with his capture and how close they came to making it happen.
This film is a very in-depth account of the reign of Zodiac, a serial killer who loved […]