Next is a 2007 film starring Nicolas Cage as a magician that is pursued by the FBI, because of his ability to see into the future. Actress Julianne Moore plays the agent that is seeking to catch Cage, so that she can prevent an imminent terrorist attack on the United States.

The film overall was pretty good. It made clever use of Cage’s ability to see into the future and had some pretty coll special effects. For some reason, the film didn’t do all that well in the box office market, though it was heavily promoted.
It’s still a good movie to watch; even own, if you’re into mild sci-fi films.

Budget: $70 million
Director: Lee Tamahori
Starring:
Nicolas Cage
Julianne Moore
Jessica Biel
Thomas Kretschmann
Michael Trucco

Juno is a 2007 about a high school girl that gets pregnant, decides to have an abortion, then changes her mind and decides to have the baby, but put it up for adoption. The film has recognizable names and has it’s moments of funny, but for the most part, I hated this film. Almost from the beginning when the main character Juno started talking, I knew I wasn’t gong to like it. Following the film, I wondered how this won a best screenplay Oscar. Part of me thinks that this film way way over-hyped, though there are some funny moments in the film.

Budget: $7.5 million
Director: Jason Reitman
Starring:
Ellen Page
Michael Cera
Jennifer Garner
Jason Bateman
Allison Janney
J.K. Simmons
Rainn Wilson

This 2007 film, starring Will Smith, is about a man that has survived a plaque that has killed everyone else or turned them into monsters. Before the plague, Robert Neville (Smith) was a scientist for the US Army, and now that he’s all alone, he’s trying to find the cure. He also thinks he is the last man on the planet, while he hides out in NYC.

The movie is filled with action, as Smith avoids the monsters that run the streets at night;taking special care to avoid leaving his scent behind whenever he goes anywhere. He soon learns that he is not the only person and that the monsters are getting smarter, tracking him while he tracks them.

The film has a little bit of a surprise/disappointing ending, since you’ve spent all this time investing in Will’s character, only to not have it work out in the end.

A great film and a must see.

Budget: $150 million
Director: Francis Lawrence
Starring:
Will Smith
Alice Braga
Willow Smith
April Grace
Charlie Tahan

This is the second film in the National Treasure series. There is currently a third in the works. It stars Nicolas Cage and Diane Kruger. The movies picks up with the Gates family investigating whether their family had anything to do with the assassination of President Lincoln and whether there is any truth to the secret stash of gold hidden by the confederacy. Like the first film, the clues take them all around the world and back to the oval office, where Gates has to find a way to talk with the President himself about a secret book that is passed from President to President.

The film is really good, with a lot of action, and suspense. We’re hoping the third installment will offer more of the same.

Budget: $130 million
Director: Jon Turteltaub
Starring:
Nicolas Cage
Diane Kruger
Ed Harris
Jon Voight
Helen Mirren
Justin Bartha
Harvey Keitel

This is a hilarious 2007 Comedy by Judd Apatow and his crew. The films about two high school kids, getting ready to head off to college and separating for the first time. During the course of a single day, they manage to score an invite to a party (something that’s never happened before) and promise to bring beer and alcohol for the girls they hope to impress. Their conquests goes wrong almost from the beginning as they depend on their friend ‘McLovin’ and his fake ID to help them out. The group gets separated, hilarious cops get involved, and eventually they make it to the big party with their bounty.

They film is for adults only, it’s very funny, and a great coming of age, mishap type film.

Budget: $20 million
Director: Greg Mottola
Starring:
Seth Rogan
Jonah Hill
Michael Cera
Christopher Mintz-Plasse
Bill Hader
Martha MacIsaac
Emma Stone

Ghost Rider stars Nicolas Cage as Johnny Blaze, a stunt motorcyclist that makes a deal with the devil for the survival of his father. Only, like you would expect, the devil changes the rules of the deal, basically making Blaze his slave. As the film progresses, Blaze becomes a bounty hunter for the devil, transforming into the notorious Ghost Rider during his killing sprees.

The film has some really cool special effects and the plot was only so-so. Plans are currently in the works to make a sequels. We’ll see how that one turns out.

The whole Eva Mendez / Nicolas Cage mix didn’t work for us.

Budget: $110 million
Director: Mark Steven Johnson
Starring:
Nicolas Cage
Brett Cullen
Wes Bentley
Peter Fonda
Eva Mendes

Jodie Foster really takes a beating in this film. Her character, Erica Bain and her fiancee are attacked one night by three hoodlums. They kill her fiancee and beat her within an inch of her life. After she recovers, she’s left with the mental scars the attack inflicted on her. Not getting help from the police, Foster decides to take matters into her own hands. In the end, she saves several people and kills the hoodlums that attacked them in the beginning.

This is a very good, emotional, and deep movie. A must watch.

Budget: $70 million
Director: Neil Jordan
Starring:
Jodie Foster
Terrence Howard
Naveen Andrews
Zoë Kravitz
Mary Steenburgen

Bee Movie is a great family film for you and kids. It stars the voices of Jerry Seinfeld and Renee Zellweger. The plot is about a bee that finds himself getting ready to spend the rest of his life, working one job, and that isn’t very attractive to him. With a day to think about what he plans to do, he decides to join the other bees that leave the hive, so he can see what the world looks like. To his dismay, he finds that their precious commodity, honey, is being taken by the humans without their permission. He decides to do what no other creature has ever done, sue the humans.

Budget: $150 million
Director: Steve Hickner
Starring (voices):
Jerry Seinfeld
Renee Zellweger
Matthew Broderick
Patrick Warburton
John Goodman
Chris Rock
Kathy Bates
Ray Liotta
Sting
Oprah Winfrey

Live Free or Die Hard is the latest in the Die Hard series. The film is full of action from the beginning – all the way to the end. And in traditional John McClane fashion, it has hilarious out takes and plays on previous films.

The plot of the film is about a rogue group of people that are taking over the essential aspects of our economy and security. It’s up to John and his unwilling sidekick Matt Farrell to stop them, save the day, and rescue his daughter. The film is really, really good.

Budget: $110 million
Director: Len Wiseman
Starring:
Bruce Willis
Justin Long
Timothy Olyphant
Maggie Q
Kevin Smith
Mary Elizabeth Winstead
Cliff Curtis

Sunshine is a movie about a crew of astronauts sent to our dying sun so they can detonate a bomb in order to restart it. Back on Earth, people are dying in a nuclear winter – resulting from the heat loss. This is a good film. It received decent reviews, but for some reason it didn’t gain traction with audiences in the theaters and on DVD.

The plot thickens when the crew, almost to the sun, realize they have discovered an earlier ship that was sent to carry out the same mission 6 years earlier. The first ship, almost made it to the sun when something went wrong. The crew at this point takes it upon themselves to go and check the first ship before completing their mission. This decision, begins the end for the crew and their mission.

If you get a chance and are a sci-fi buff, Sunshine is a great film to watch with awesome visual effects.

Budget: $50 million
Director: Danny Boyle
Starring:
Cliff Curtis
Chipo Chung
Cillian Murphy
Rose Byrne
Mark Strong
Chris Evans