JonTMarin816

"Miracle at St Anna" is Spike's first foray into the war epic category and an impressive one. "Miracle" starts off with an elderly Hector Negron (Laz Alonso) killing a man at his job in the post office. Through investigation, they spot an old statue head in his closet and through his interrogation, the story begins in Italy. Negron along with Sgt. Stamps (Derek Luke), Sgt. Cummings (Michael Ealy) and Pvt. Train (Omar Benson Miller) are all part of the 92nd Infantry Division. The men end up befriending a young Italian boy and seeking refuge in a Tuscan village from the German army. "Miracle"'s first succession is the elaborate camera-work of Spike Lee, who finds a way to make a typical studio genre seem fresh and original. Another plus for the film was the acting. As with all of Spike's films, the actors feed off of each other well and the hints of improv is all there. Although the time of the film is under much criticism, I feel that it was deserved to get into all the small subplots and wrapping around the mystery that we're thrown into in the beginning. Last but not least, "Miracle" is the first Hollywood film to tell the story of the Buffalo Soldiers. And what a way and choice of director to do this in. The film is powerful and, while it may not top "Do The Right Thing" and "Malcolm X", it's unfortunately one of his underrated gems along the lines of "Clockers" and "Bamboozled". However, it is definitely one of the best films this year (had it not been for The Dark Knight).

Since 2005's Batman Begins, moviegoers and Batman fans alike have been waiting on its sequel thanks to a scene that hinted The Jokers appearance. A heavy viral marketing push and several trailers later, The Dark Knight premiered and packed more punch than your average super hero flick. Without a doubt this is the best Batman film ever. My first exposure to Batman was the 1989 Tim Burton film and I hold that one near and dear to my heart. However, there is no denying the intensity in this one starting with, the talk of the nation, Heath Ledger's portrayal of The Joker. Jack Nicholson's was good in a sense that it combined the kookiness and comedy of Ceasar Romero's Joker with the rough edge of the one in the comics. Heath brought a new edge to this one however. Pure madness. For the first time ever, I sat and watched a movie and 1) pretty much called an Oscar worthy performance and 2) thought I could be afraid of this character. At one point I thought to myself that Batman would never put this guy to rest. To make this all simple, Heath stole the show and, sorry to say because I absolutely love Jack's Joker, blew the '89s Joker out. As for the film itself, at some point you're forgetting that you're watching a super hero flick. They're all supposed to be CGI heavy, hinting characters for sequels, funny and a really fun movie experience for the fan boys to crazy over. The Dark Knight however contained some of this stuff but it felt so original and really cinematic. Clocking in at 152 minutes, the material in the film is really heavy and the darkness goes deeper than the hues of 1989's Batman. Some scenes I felt were R rated material only if they included the presence of blood. Me being a Batman fiend, but movie buff first, I really liked the script and depth of characters. Nolan succeeds where Raimi failed miserably, with Spider Man 3, by introducing a host of characters, twists and key plot elements without making the film confusing or feeling too crowded. The summer of 2008 saw the return of Indy, a new screen hero in Iron Man and the redemption of the Hulk, however its The Dark Knight that triumphs all and may just set a new standard for the summer super hero flick.

I am a fan of the previous Spider Man films, so it's safe to say that I was hyped up for the latest installment. May 4th was marked in my calendar for months leading up to the actual day. I watched Spider Man 3 on opening night and was left somewhat baffled. I liked the action, visually the film was stunning, but something didn't feel right. I was so disappointed. Although I was hyped up about the film, I also didn't go into it expecting the greatest film ever. But it was things like character development, story, and the overall theme of the film that dragged it. To describe this film in one word would be campy. This was definitely the campiest of all the films. In a film that was advertised as the darkest of the trilogy, instead we got too much comedy and a montage that was dragged on for too long. I couldn't help but cringe at these moments and wonder where did the magic, that was very evident in the previous films, go? As the credits rolled, I couldn't help but wonder what direction this franchise would go? These are questions that never crossed my mind after watching the previous films. Now Sony plans to include three more installments and I'm not even that excited anymore. To sum up everything, this film has its "oohs" and "aahs" but at the end it still proves to be one big disappointment.

Spider-Man 3 - ** out of ****