Seconds

Get out your giant robot dinosaurs and pew pew lasers we're revie-wait I didn't see Transformers yet shit um

oh crap uh shit damn it uh um OK DON'T PANIC

*scrounges around old movies*

Ok um get out your new teeth and burned-off fingertips, we're reviewing Seconds!

*whew*

Arthur Hamilton(John Randolph) seems to be bored of his old life, so he has a sketchy company "kill" him off, completely reconstruct him with plastic surgery, and give him an exciting new life as Antiochus Hamilton(Rock Hudson). But is this really the life he wants?

Side Effects

Get out your Zoloft and Prilosec, we're reviewing Side Effects!

Emily Taylor(Rooney Mara) is having trouble with her life after her husband, Martin(Channing Tatum), gets out of prison.  Her new doctor, Dr. Banks(Jude Law) proscribes a new drug on the market, Ablixa, that starts showing some weird side effects...

Argo

Get out your fake storyboards and spy phones, we're reviewing Argo!

Lookit those eyes! Isn't Affleck saying, "c'mon America, give me another chance!"?

In the 1980's when enraged Iranians storm America's embassy and take hostages, 6 Americans sneak out and hide in the Canadian Ambassador's house. The best way the CIA can think to get them out is to  make a fake sci-fi movie and sneak them all out. Can they pull it off?

The Raven

Get out your booze and blood, we're reviewing The Raven!

Maybe I should have made his forehead bigger.

I feel with The Raven they were trying to turn Edgar Allen Poe into a Sherlock Holmes type character and create a story similar to From Hell, but it doesn't quite work.  It feels like The Raven is trying to be a lot of things, a classic mystery, a torture-porn gore fest, a summer action movie, and a respectful look at Poe's life, without doing any one of them very well. Minor spoilers follow.

Haywire

Get out your [POW! KICK! PUNCH-IN-THE-FACE!]...Ow! This movie just kicked my butt! Did you see that?! Get back here, Haywire!

EDIT: I finally finished the illustrated version! If you look closely, you can see the different techniques I went through.

After watching the trailer, I was not expecting anything from Haywire. How wrong I was! I'm not afraid to say this is pretty much the movie I wanted Drive to be.

Sketched TV: Alcatraz

In this installment of Sketched TV, I'll be reviewing the new thriller on Fox, Alcatraz!

I think this poster came out pretty well in illustrator.

Alcatraz comes to us from J.J. Abrams and Bad Robot, the creators of Lost and Fringe (the latter being back and another show you NEED to be watching), which is not surprising since the show feels like a combination of Lost, Fringe, and Prison Break. In this case, that's not a bad thing.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Get out your spy guns and spy glasses, we're reviewing Tinker Tailor Soldier Candlestick Maker! No wait, it's Tinker Tailor Soldier Platypus! No, Tinker Tailor Timelord! Oh, let's just get on with it. 

I'm trying to do more stuff in Illustrator, but I never like the colors.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy has some great acting and can be really suspenseful, but it's also long and hard to follow. 

The Debt

Get out your secret cameras and spy guns, we're reviewing The Debt!

The Debt is unexpectedly great. Not that I had any reason to think it was bad, I just didn't really think it looked all that interesting. Boy was I wrong!  It's a tense action-filled spy thriller with a tight, twisty turny plot.

The Disappearance of Alice Creed

Get your ski masks on because we're going to review The Disappearance of Alice Creed!

This is a gripping thriller about a kidnapping. It's very minimalist and very intense. It's also one of those movies that's hard to write a review for because you don't want to ruin anything.

Two guys trick out an apartment room and kidnap Alice Creed(Gemma Arterton). And then as they handle her being released for the money, things get crazy.

That's all I can tell you about the story, the rest you'll have to go discover for yourself. It's very minimalist(there are only three actors in the entire movie) and very badass. The first 5 minutes are in complete silence and it's just the kidnappers preparing the room for the kidnapping. And then they kidnap her.

It's very straightforward in a way that isn't done at all these days. No flashbacks, no side stories, no lovable bit characters, they don't even have phone conversations with the parents or police. It's just the kidnappers and Alice.

It's very suspenseful and has so many twists and has so many twists and turns right up to the very end. You never now who's playing who and who's in league with who. Also, it's got action and tons of nudity on both sides, so there's that.

So yeah, go watch it. Had it a different style it'd be a noir. It has some great acting and some killer twists. Highly recommended for those who love suspenseful crime thrillers.

The Source Code

Strap on your time belts and get ready to go back in time, we're reviewing The Source Code!

I tried something new with this one. Hated it. Started over. Still don't like it.

For anyone who's already wondering if it lives up to Director Duncan Jones debut film, Moon, it does, and so much more. I would say this surpasses it in every category(except for the creepy robot voiced by Kevin Spacey category).

A mad bomber has taken out a train and has plans of another larger target. The only way to stop him is by sending Captain Colter Stevens(Jake Gyllenhaal) back in time within the body of a person who was on the train using...the source code. What exactly is the source code and how Colter Stevens fits into this is the mystery.

This is an amazing and thought provoking movie on so many levels. I saw a trailer for this saying it was more twisting than Inception and I instantly went, "OH REALLLLY." But seeing it, I have to agree. Inception was very linear and explained everything to you instantly. This lets you slowly discover how everything works and what's going on, and then it still leaves you guessing.

I, like most fans of Moon, saw the trailers and was worried that it would be too overly romantic. I'm relived to tell you it doesn't really focus on it too much(ok, yes, it does seem as though they fall in love rather quick, but A) he repeatedly only has 8 minutes to live, and she thinks she's talking to someone she's known for months, possibly years). I'm guessing they overhyped the romance to bring in the mainstream crowd. It was a mere afterthought, as was the plot of trying to find the mad bomber, compared to the real story of Colter trying to figure out what exactly is the source code and how he can use it to save everyone. They actually find the bomber earlier than expected(I can't speak for others as to how predictable it was, but I called it at first glance).

All the cast did a stand up job. The characters seemed realistic and everyone had their own unique voice. Even the bit players, the passengers on the train, were interesting and funny. Jake Gyllenhaal of course was perfect as a remorse soldier trying to figure out what's going on.

Jeffery Wright did a great job of being the cold and detail oriented Dr. Rutledge, and there was a surprising cameo by Scott Bakula!

The music was light and suspenseful. It wasn't overly stated, but it did it's job when it was supposed to. The effects of going back and forth in time from within the source code were nice and there were a handful of beautiful shots of downtown Chicago. I know you're not going to see a movie for nice city shots, but I don't know what else to talk about in this movie without ruining too much.

The Source Code deals with time travel, dreams and reality, alternate realities, fate, and perhaps even the afterlife. A lot of people didn't like the ending siting it as being too hollywood, but I loved it because it opened up so many more questions. It even makes some nice nods to Quantum Leap and Groundhog Day. It's a great sci-fi thriller that will get your brain juices flowing and I can't recommend it enough. A must see! So go see it!