IntelliCritic

This is the first time a major film against abortion has hit the theaters. Since its central topic is a hot-button political issue today, review bias may ensue. Quality reviewers must put aside their political viewpoints in favor of unbiased reviewing. I write this review as a conservative Catholic against any kind of abortion. The MPAA R rating is suitable here because of Unplanned's use of blood. Thus, if one has a fear of seeing blood, one should not see this film. Still, the movie simulates no partial-birth abortions and refrains from maximal gore. Something to consider is that abortions currently happen every day and are graphic. This is true regardless of one's viewpoint on whether that is a fetus or a person. From an artistic standpoint, Unplanned is less than perfect. Someone else could have played Abby Johnson. Or Ashley Bratcher could have done a better acting job. Artistry is not the chief intent of this film, and it shows. That is no excuse for sub-par production. Still, Unplanned's production quality is two notches higher than most Christian movies today. Jared Lotz does a good job in his role of Shawn Carney, CEO of 40 Days for Life. Kaiser Johnson does an exceptional job in his role as Abby Johnson's lawyer. The film's soundtrack is actually good. Several of the songs add depth and auditory beauty to its scenes. Matthew West tops it off with a well-placed song at the end credits. In general, children under 14 years of age should not see Unplanned even with a parent. Everyone above that age should watch it once.

Silence is a bizarre, illusive movie. Before I saw the film, my Catholic pastor and one of my Catholic news sources had demonized it. Several of my friends, though, told me I should go see it, so I did. The trailer does not do Silence justice! The actual movie not include that riveting, fast-paced soundtrack, nor the trailer's tone. I would not recommend Silence to the average person, adult, Christian, or even Catholic. To properly digest its contents, this film requires a fervently philosophical Christian mind. Indeed, I felt my faith was burning bright within me after I watched the film. But it is not because of any inspiration that the central characters gave me. In fact, the protagonist turns out to be of the haziest gray between black or white. In the end, we will never know whether he has reconciled himself with God or not. This is, for me, extremely disappointing and uninteresting. I could compare this ending to Inception's, which was a far better psychological film. Silence is one long movie without much music, and a lot of narration. This approach does allow for some impressive Zen experience for viewers. I will probably never watch it again because of its lack of clarity and message. But, as a devout Catholic I did find it intriguing and thought-provoking. At the end in the theater, one man began clapping as the credits rolled down. I thought to myself that there was no way I could clap for such an unclear message. It's a good thing I brought some equally intellectual friends along to discuss the movie!

Skyfall embodies the perfect union of classic and contemporary in an action movie. Marking the 50th anniversary of the James Bond franchise, Skyfall delivers well. The plot basically stands on its own without much necessary backstory or foreknowledge. In fact, Skyfall was actually the first 007 movie I saw. For those experienced with James Bond, the unconventionality of Skyfall is its best feature. Scenes feature fascinating visuals while we scratch our heads trying to uncover the plot. For example, Skyfall depicts a night scene in Shanghai at one point. Bond fights an assassin with beautiful jellyfish graphics floating in the background. As the two brawl, we have no idea who is who because of their nearly identical silhouettes. A handful of other interesting artistic subtleties such as this appear later. This is actually fairly typical of a Bond movie, but seems to be particularly well-done in this one. Skyfall's other strong points include the villain and Bond's critical relationship with M. Prepare to be both shaken and stirred!

Spectre is my favorite movie of all time to date. If James Bond can get spiritual, Spectre is the quintessence of Mr. Bond's redemption. I write this as a Catholic Christian seeing past the endless array of Bond's sleazy women. In fact, Daniel Craig's Bond has two women of interest in each of his movies, one a lover and one a ****. In all the four movies, the **** gets killed because of Bond and the lover reveals to us something about him. The deaths may seem a bit repetitive, but they actually prepare an important setting. In Spectre, those four deaths and others lead straight to Bond's archnemesis and rival. Bond's lovers, however, culminate in a final lasting love through which he may return to a life of ease. Still, the women of these four movies are not the primary focus of Bond's development. What is the primary focus of the Daniel Craig Bond movies? Upon careful analysis, one will come to the same conclusion as mine: James' self-control. Bond may save the world (more or less) four times, or he may magnetize (more or less) four different babes. But, at the end of the day, only Bond's ability to pacify his internal scars matters. And that is exactly what takes place in this movie. And it's glorious! After his gory killing-spree in Quantum of Solace, Bond holds the trigger at a key moment of revenge. On the most superficial of levels, Spectre is a fairly scary feature of murder and death. At the heart of its premise is a spiritual balance wherein James Bond wraps up his out-of-control ego. Spectre includes a helicopter fight, a crazy mountain chase, and a lot of insane action. But it's definitely got a lot more to it than that. Watch it after Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, and Skyfall; otherwise, it won't add up. Also, enjoy the unexpected octopus squirming around in the opening credits!

Some will name Interstellar's premise as exploration, mystery, or even love. These are generally true, but the heart of this movie is actually the human destiny to conquer. In a vast universe, the plot follows a team of scientists scrambling to save mankind. The astronauts make their way to the stars through difficulties. In each ordeal, time amplifies the characters' mistakes and successes to unforeseen outcomes. Hans Zimmer's musical score augments Interstellar's sense of helplessness and curiosity to extremes. I watched this movie on my computer screen, but it would be best to watch in a home theater or in IMAX. This is due to the jaw-dropping, unfathomable presentation of cosmic visuals in the movie. Interstellar takes the spot as my second favorite movie of all time. It is without a doubt deeper and more ambitious than Christopher Nolan's Inception. This is not to state I didn't enjoy that movie. Interstellar, like Inception, doesn't fit well to watch on a Friday night. It's more of a Sunday afternoon type movie! Prepare to ponder Interstellar's mind-numbing themes & concepts for several days after finishing it.

Although the Attack of The Clones rests in my memory for its fantastical war scenes and glorious man-to-man combat, I cannot help but sigh at the real essence of this film: a sappy plot overflowing with uninteresting unlikeliness and predictable advances. I have heard some call the second film of the Star Wars prequels their favorite of the whole bunch, and while I fully understand from where these viewers formulate their preferences, I also see a certain horrible opinionated oversight therein. That is to say amidst entire worlds of explosion of emotional drama, Attack of The Clones slaughters any true notion of moral obligation and its inherent power. By this, I mean that the united force that is the Jedi Council is at most a colorful group of cerebral inquisitors, while the growing Dark Side is at least a seriously formidable twister of control through deception. Additionally, the confusedness and passionate rage of central character Anakin paints him too soon as the future agent of darkness, sapping out a potential element of surprise that the film failed to utilize. In the end, one should watch Attack of The Clones as a juvenile war cartoon, if one should even watch it at all.

In this high-octane adventure of our beloved detective, Sherlock Homes takes a turn for the worst as the plot twists through perilous countryside and precipitous mountain. What this film lacks in charm and curiosity that its prequel so marvelously embodied, A Game of Shadows reciprocates in jaw-dropping cinematography and heart-stopping eruptions of emotion and explosion. Downey Jr.'s inquisitive, artistic performance once again locks hand-in-hand with the unlikely role of Holmes in thwarting evil and restoring tenuous peace to Europe. Be prepared for a visual and intellectual treat loaded with bombs and gunfire.

This meeting of Marvel movie worlds makes for a satisfying and climactic battleground. The Avengers bursts with stunning combat visuals and memorable jokes while maintaining an enjoyable, suspenseful plot. Although one important actor has switched (Mark Ruffalo now as The Hulk) from the prequel films, Joss Whedon (director) still manages to pull off a beautiful, balanced infusion of the stars from each individual Avenger story. What ensues is the juxtaposition of modern urban warfare with cosmic weaponry and cosmic consequences. The Avengers is best watched after viewing Captain America and Iron Man (the other prequels are not up to standard). The Avengers is an iconic film for its revolutionary battle scenarios and its surprising humor.

"Will you still love me, when I'm no longer young..." are the words to the chorus of The Great Gatsby's theme song. That fact of the matter is that I will absolutely still love this film when its no longer young. Sure, some may criticize its lack of subtlety and tender pace that were characteristic of The Great Gatsby novel, but few can deny this film's masterful portrayal of key characters and the orgastic yet sickly vibe of the so-called "Roaring Twenties." **** the plot, amazing the visuals, and skilled are the cast in this ambitious interpretation of Fitzgerald's book. Make sure to read the book before seeing The Great Gatsby, as it does speed by some important ideas at the pace of a motion picture.

This is by far the most thoughtful, heart-wrenching golf film yet released. Indeed, The Greatest Game Ever Played reaches out universally instead of just to golfers or other athletes. LaBeouf excellently portrays a struggling, passionate youth who miraculously rises to the elite skill level of golfers. This film's musical score is lively, catchy, and gives a strong sense of excitement and suspense to the rising action of the plot. Finally, The Greatest Game Ever Played demonstrates a masterful juxtaposition of the old-fashioned and the modern with its use of awe-inspiring CGI in the context of yesteryear.

This is a film of serious philosophical depth and insight. The Matrix also overflows with religious allusions and parallels from Christianity and Buddhism. Although The Matrix may seem loaded with stunning visuals only for the sake of visceral enjoyment at first, there is a profound interplay between the action and the underlying meanings of the film. The infrastructural visuals also give us a glimpse of this duality. While the world of the Matrix is portrayed as homogeneous, predictable, and tinted a sickly green, the real world is portrayed as dark, earthy and tinted a mysterious indigo.