Sci-Fi Bri's Movies: "The Blind Side"

Sci-Fi Bri's Movies: "The Blind Side"

Characters/Actors: Michael Oher aka Big Mike ?, Leigh-Ann Tuoy (Sandra Bullock), Tim McGraw, etc.

Based on a true story. A large black boy named Michael Oher but referred to as "Big Mike" with questionable academic ability who has lived a difficult life gets admitted to a prestigious Christian school based on his athletic ability. His academic potential leaves a lot to be desired. Soon after attending the school, Big Mike gets kicked out of his foster family's home. His biological mother is a drug addict, so she isn't much help to him. Leigh-Ann Tuoy, the matriarch of an affluent white family takes pity on Big Mike and she lets him sleep on her couch. Her husband (Tim McGraw) , who owns nearly one hundred fast food restaurants, is none-too-thrilled about the arrangement at first. Before long though, Bib Mike becomes part of the family. Leigh-Ann is a little pushy, but she has a good heart. With Leigh-Ann's help, Michael Oher becomes successful on both the athletic field and to a lesser extent in the classroom. Oher, after a rusty start, does so well at high school football that he has the choice of attending almost any college he desires. There is a brief investigation by a semi-heartless NCAA investigator about possible improper recruitment by certain college football coaches, though. In real-life, Oher was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens (an NFL team) in 2009. I've seem a lot of similar uplifting sports movies. Sandra Bullock was excellent as Leigh-Ann Tuoy and she received a well-deserved Best Actress nomination.

Poetry: "The incantation"

Poetry: "The Incantation"

Poison wafting in the air

You can smell it if you dare

You'll be lying on the ground

Dying or dead without a sound.

Sci-Fi Bri's Movies: "The Wolfman"

Sci-Fi Bri's Movies: "The Wolfman" (2010)

Characters/Actors: Lawrence Talbot ( Benicio ["The Usual Suspects,etc.] Del Toro), Sir John Talbot ( Anthony ["Hannibal Lecter] Hopkins), Gwen (Emily Blunt), Aberline (Hugo ["The Matrix"] Weaving), etc.

In this reimagining of the 1941 original, Lawrence Talbot, a professional actor, returns to Blackmoor near London, England in the mid-1800s to attend the burial of his only brother. His brother Ben was mutilated by a murderous creature. He was about to marry a beautiful young woman. Soon after the funeral, Lawrence is attacked by the same creature, a werewolf, but he survives the vicious attack. In a Gypsy village, an old Gypsy woman saves Talbot's life, even though she knows there is no cure for the bite except a silver bullet. At the full moon, Talbot becomes a wolfman and cannot control the ravenous beast he becomes until the moon is no longer full. It turns out that a werewolf killed his mother, and caused him to leave his place of birth until another attack results in him coming back. His father, Sir John Talbot knows a lot more than he should about what is happening to his son. The identity of his attacker is closer to him than he expects. Also, Lawrence is starting to fall in love with his late brother's one-time fiance' (Emily Talbot). Perhaps the most disturbing part of the movie was when misguided psychiatrists attempt to barbarically 'cure' Lawrence's supposed "Lycanthropy Delusion" by way of proto-psychiatric treatment (dipping Talbot in a vat of ice water, etc.) Hugo Weaving was pretty intense as a Scotland Yard detective who becomes a zealous werewolf hunter. Quite good, but hard to say if superior to the Lon Chaney version.

Poetry: "That's Not Blood, It's Tomato Sauce"

Poetry: "That's Not Blood, That's Tomato Sauce"

That's not Blood, it's Tomato Sauce

Dripping down the walls

No need to dial up 9-1-1

Or other sudden calls

That's not a corpse, it's just a doll

Lying on the floor

Stay where you are

The room is locked

Don't head for the door...

Sci-Fi Bri's Movies: "Legion", etc.

Sci-Fi Bri's Movies: "Legion", "Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lighning Thief", and "The Beast Must Die"

"Legion" Rated R Starring: The Archangel Michael ( Paul Bettany), Dennis Quaid, etc.

After God loses faith in mankind, he sends thousands of angels to destroy us, except one. The Archangel Michael (Paul Bettany) defies God out of love for humankind. Other than Michael, the remaining hope for mankind is holed up and trapped in a diner, including a young waitress carrying the child supposedly destined to bring about the world's salvation. Demons constantly launch attacks on these remaining people, and intend to kill the yet to be born child and his mother. Based on a comic book or graphic novel. Be forewarned that the best parts of this movie mostly occurred in the movie trailer, especially the old woman who climbs the diner wall dodging bullets.

"Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief" Rated PG Starring: Percy Jackson ?, Sally ( Katharine Keener), Charon ( Pierce Brosnan), Zeus (Sean Bean), Medusa (Uma Thurman), Persephone ? , etc.

A seemingly ordinary teenage boy with Attention Deficit Disorder and Dyslexia discovers that he is actually the demigod son of Poseidon, god of the sea. The other immortals are after him, because they believe he stole Zeus' Ligtning Bolt, the most powerful weapon there is. With the help of other young demigods and a kindly older centaur (Pierce Brosnan), the less-than confident Percy has less than two weeks to find the stolen weapon before the gods wage war on each other and destroy mankind in the process. The people who made this movie also made at least one of the "Harry Potter" films. If you liked "Harry Potter", "Jason and the Argonauts", or the tv series "Hercules: The Legendary Journey" and "Legend of the Seeker", then this movie is probably for you.

"The Beast Must Die!" (1974) Starring: Calvin Lockhart, Peter Cushing, etc.

A rich playboy hunter (Calvin Lockhart) brings a diverse group of people together to discover which one is a werewolf. Once the wolf among them is discovered, he aims to hunt him or her down. One of the best werewolf films I have ever seen. At different parts of the movie, there are clues shown about who may be the wolf man or woman.

Sci-Fi Bri's Movies: "Crazy Heart", etc.

Sci-Fi Bri's Movies: "Crazy Heart", etc.

Characters/Actors: Bad Blake (Jeff Bridges), Jean (Maggie Gyllenhaal), Thomas Sweet (Colin Farrell, Robert Duvall, etc.

Bad Blake ( Jeff Bridges) is a hard-living, smoking, drinking, aging country singer who

meets and falls for a much younger journalist and single mother (Maggie Gyllenhaal). Due to his own actions, the relationship is almost bound to fail. This woman inspires him to reassess his priorities and to get his drinking under control. Thomas Sweet (Colin Farrell) is a much younger rival singer who considers Blake a mentor. Very similar to last year's film "The Wrestler", only with country music substituting for pro wrestling. The most surprising thing about this movie is that both Jeff Bridges and Colin Farrell can actually sing, and either could probably make it as genuine country musicians.

"Edge of Darkness" (Rated R) Characters/Actors: Detective Thomas Craven ( Mel Gibson), Ray Winstone, etc.

A Boston police detective (Mel Gibson), Thomas Craven's adult daughter is murdered right in front of him, and though there are rules against officially being part of the investigation, he uncovers an apparent government conspiracy involving clandestine weapon's research at a shadowy corporation. Just before Emma Craven is slain, she starts vomiting. It turns out she has been poisoned to try to silence her. Det. Craven is the exact opposite of Martin Riggs, the suicidally reckless detective Gibson plays in the "Lethal Weapon" series. Craven is the kind who only fires at those who deserve it, and normally he tries to obey the rules. Although Gibson did an admirable job as Det. Craven, Ray Winstone as a shadowy covert operative was even better. As a police drama this movie was a little dull. However, as a government and corporate conspiracy film, this movie was quite intriguing. Almost without realizing it, his daughter got over her head when she discovered the wrongdoing by the company she once worked for. Also, when Craven gets an inkling of the conspiracy, even he is targeted in spite of being an officer of the law.

"Extraordinary Measures" Characters/Actors: Dr. Robert Stillwell (Harrison Ford), John ? Crowell (Brendan Fraser), Keri Russell, etc.

John ? Crowell, a businessman and father of two children who have "Pompe disease", a form of Muscular Dystrophy, risks everything to persuede an irascible but brilliant scientist who is an expert on the disease to work on a remedy to save the lives of his ailing offspring. Crowell promises to come up with a lot of money to fund the research, but coming up with that much money is much easier said than done. Another complication is Stillwell's temper and the unpredictability of Crowell's ailing children's health from day to day. Also, most Pompe kids die before their tenth birthday, and both of his sick kids are approaching that age. The most interesting thing about the movie was the red tape that Crowell and Stillwell go to to get funding for the research, and how Stillwell's fiery personality clashes with fellow scientists. Although there is a relatively happy ending, the end was a little sappy, but if it didn't have such an ending there would be no reason to make or see the movie.