W.

Spanks - 2.5

Director - Oliver Stone

Writers - Stanley Weiser

Starring - Josh Brolin, James Cromwell, Richard Dreyfuss, Scott Glenn & Elizabeth Banks

Release Date - 17 October 2008

MPAA Rating - PG-13

The film W. is not a comedy like the trailer makes it out to be. It is funny just because when George W. Bush talks, it is funny. The film is a biography of our current president, and is the first to be made of a sitting president. The film takes the viewer there Bush's life from college (undergraduate) until "the end" of the Iraq War (2004).

The casting of the film was perfect. Everyone looked almost exactly like the person they were portraying, and got the accents down too. Thandie Newton who played Condoleezza Rice was the best of the supporting cast. Josh Brolin could be Bush if you were not paying attention to what you were seeing or hearing.

The film is very interesting. I learned a lot about our president. I didn't know he didn't want to go into politics when he was young, or that he was that big of a slacker or that Colin Powell was completely against the Iraq War and fought with him to not invade. It was very slow and boring at parts. There was one scene in the middle that was so slow that i nodded off for a couple minutes. It is definitely worth watching, just not at the theater for at least 7 bucks.

Eagle Eye

Spanks - 1.5

Director - D.J. Caruso

Writers - John Glenn, Travis Wright, Hillary Seitz & Dan McDermott

Starring - Shia LaBeouf, Michelle Monaghan, Rosario Dawson, Michael Chiklis, Ethan Embry & Billy Bob Thornton

Release Date - 26 September 2008

MPAA Rating - PG-13

Eagle Eye was not a good movie. Do not spend your money to see it. It was unoriginal and about an hour to long (the run time was 118 minutes). If you want good chase scenes watch The Rock or The Dark Knight. If you want a fun cyber terrorism movie just watch Live Free or Die Hard. If you want to see Michelle Monaghan looking hot watch Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. Get Panic Room or Usual Suspect for a great thriller.

The film is about two people who meet because they got mysterious phone calls from an unknown lady. The lady has the ability to hack into all electronic equipment to minipulate what she wants so she can get Jerry Shaw and Rachel Holloman where she needs them. It turns out that it is a computer that is gone bad and needs both Jerry and Rachel to carry out her operation.

The one thing I was wishing the whole film was for the evil computer to hack the film projector and shut it off.

Religulous

Spanks - 3

Director - Larry Charles

Writers - Bill Maher

Starring - Bill Maher

Release Date - 3 October 2008

MPAA Rating - R

Religulous is a documentary about religion directed by the guy who did Borat and starring the guy from Politically Incorrect. It discuses how religion is "old", "wrong", "stupid", and "fake". It is very one sided, Bill Maher doesn't try at all to believe anything anyone of his interviewees are saying. He interviews people from Christian, Jewish, and Muslim groups, all from the groups that are way off the wall. A Puerto Rician minister who says he is the second coming of Jesus, a Jewish rabbi who is against the nation of Isreal and believes the Holocaust isn't real, and a guy from the Cannabis Ministry in Amsterdam to give you a couple of examples. It also has a good segment about how religion and war are tied together.

The film is very funny, but doesn't come close to Borat. Some of the funniest parts are when they cut away from the interview to a video to go against what they are saying. It is also funny when Bill Maher ask a question they don't have a pre-scripted answer for and just look dumbfounded at him. I will say he is very mean to his interviewees too, but he is usually mean to the guest on his show, so its nothing new for Bill Maher.

The documentary, although completely biased (but name me one that isn't), was very interesting. If you are religious you will most likely hate this movie. If you have an open mind you might like it.