Daybreakers

Rating: R

Movie Release Date: January 6, 2010 (United Kingdom) / January 8, 2010 (USA)

DVD Release Date: May 11, 2010

Plot 411: In a world of 95% vampires/5% humans, vampires must find a way to manufacture blood in order to survive.

Review: Ed (Ethan Hawke) is working to find a viable substitute for human blood to feed the entire world as the population of humans rapidly dwindles. He works for a man named Charles Bromley (Sam Neill), who runs a blood farming company, but is ethically torn. He struggles to keep his own humanity and views humans as a endangered species rather than a food supply. Luckily, there is a group of renegade humans who fight against the vampires in hopes of finding a cure to vampirism. Led by Audrey (Claudia Karvan) and Elvis (Willem Dafoe), the group also searches for wayward humans and tries to provide a safe haven for them. This is an interesting horror, sci-fi movie because it can also serve as an allegory for the present time. Just as we consume our natural resources, the vampires literally consume them by feeding on them. They live in a society that condones the wastefulness and single-mindedness of gluttony just as we seem to. It is only a matter of time before we face a similar fate if nothing is done to change our ways.

Watch It: For a moral gem within a genre film.

Skip It: If you're looking for good special effects. The CGI is pretty awful, but there's a ton of blood and guts.

Paris, je t'aime

Rating: R

Movie Release Date: June 21, 2006 (France) / May 4, 2007 (USA)

DVD Release Date: November 13, 2007

Plot 411: The city of love serves as the backdrop of 18 short films about love.

Review: This film was a vignette about love, in all of its forms. Each story covered a different type of love, featured different groups in society and was the vision of different directors. The shorts provided a brief glimpse into people's lives, and the last movie about an American tourist's first visit to Paris wraps up the entire film quite nicely (albeit in very bad American-accented French). I liked how so many different versions of love could be incorporated into this project: young love, old love, new love, mother-son, father-daughter, lost love, found love, etc. Some of my favorite shorts are about a mime family, a couple who resorts to prostitutes to liven up their marriage and a mother who sings a Spanish lullaby to a child that is not her own. In a way, it's similar to Love Actually, but the audience isn't given as much time with all the characters. Just when you start liking them, their story is over and we're moving on to the next short. Some of the topics are humorous while others are simply heartbreaking. However, all of the shorts depict real situations that we all may face in life, and this is what makes the film perfect. Some of the actors in these films are Juliette Binoche, Willem Dafoe, Nick Nolte, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Elijah Wood, Emily Mortimer, Rufus Sewell, Natalie Portman, Gena Rowlands and Gerard Depardieu.

Watch It: If you're a fan of indie movies because each short film felt like an artistic endeavor.

Skip It: If you like to have a definite resolution at the end of your movies. Many of these will leave you hanging or make you want to see more.

The Boondock Saints

Rating: R

Movie Release Date: December 17, 1999 (Denmark) / January 21, 2000 (USA)

DVD Release Date: May 21, 2002

Plot 411: Two Irish brothers become vigilantes and go on a killing spree to rid South Boston of evil doers.

Review: I thought this movie was very successful in weaving together a thoughtful plot while still managing to provide action and humor. Conner (Sean Patrick Flanery) and Murphy (Norman Reedus) are two regular guys working at a meatpacking plant. When the Russian mob tries to strongarm the owner of their favorite watering hole, they and the rest of the patrons set things straight. However, when the mobsters come for revenge, the brothers end up killing them in self defense. After this innocent altercation, they hear the voice of God telling them to clean up the bad streets of Boston. They proceed to work their way through Boston's Russian and Italian organized crime while trying to evade capture by FBI agent Paul Smecker (Willem Dafoe). I gotta tell you. There's nothing sexier than a gun-wielding guy with an accent, brains and a streak of do-gooder in him. Flanery and Reedus are captivating and so funny at times. Dafoe is great in this role as a homosexual FBI agent. He's eccentric and unorthodox CSI-style is pure entertainment at times. It's also interesting how religion, ethics and morals are tied into the movie. Like Smecker, the audience must choose between a lawful and unlawful method of dealing with crime. One is sometimes more effective than the other in eliminating bad components within society, however, is it justifiable to circumvent the law for your own purpose?

Watch It: For a good amount of action (read killing) and laughs or for the sexy Irish brogue.

Skip It: If you're shy about violence. This movie was once cut as NC-17 but recut to an R. I didn't think it was all that violent or bloody when compared to more recent films.

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