Antwone Fisher

Antwone Fisher (Derek Luke) has a dark past that he's been spending a lot of time trying to forget. However, it starts to re-emerge in violent outbursts of anger toward his fellow crewman. As a member of the U.S. Navy, this is unacceptable, so he is forced to see a psychiatrist, Dr. Jerome Davenport (played by Denzel Washington). At first, Antwone resists treatment. Day after day, he sits in Jerome's office without saying a word. After a while, he realizes that he's just wasting his time and Davenport's and starts talking.

Antwone's story is one of major heartbreak, neglect, abuse, and pain. Born in a women's detention center in Cleveland, Ohio, he spent all of his childhood years in a foster home where he was severely abused. He took to the streets when he was older, and when he realized that he would not be able to survive, he enlisted in the Navy.

When their sessions are done, Antwone has a choice. He can find his biological family, with whom he has never had contact, and find out why they never tried to find him, or he can keep the anger and resentment he feels towards everyone in his past bottled up inside him.

I really liked this movie. I really felt for Antwone -- his story is extremely heartbreaking. I can't say the character developement of the other characters was that good...I found out very little about Davenport's story until the very end of the movie, and even then it was summed up in one or two sentences. I didn't know very much about Antwone's girlfriend either.

The acting was very well done. Derek Luke convinced me that he was angry, and Denzel convinced me that he cared. And the actress who played Antwone's foster mother really made me hate her, and I thought she did a great job.

There were surprisingly little continuity mistakes. I don't think I've seen a movie with so few...or maybe I just wasn't looking hard enough.

On the whole, it was a very good movie.

4 and a half stars.

Walk the Line

Reese Witherspoon and Joaquin Phoenix light up the screen in the Oscar nominee 'Walk the Line'. It's the story of Johnny Cash and his journey as he went through his addiction to drugs, his scandalous affair with June Carter, and his ups and downs throughout his music career.

Johnny grew up out in the country. His father was less than pleasant. When Johnny's brother was killed, it only made matters worse. When he got older, he joined the armed forces, and when he was finished his time in the service, he married his sweetheart and had a couple of kids. He struggled to put food on the table for his young family but he made it through.

Things turned around when he got a record deal with his band. He went on tour with June Carter and some other artists and business was booming. But, when he fell in love with June, things got interesting. He got hooked on drugs and had all kinds of health problems. This film is the story of how he overcame all his trials and how the love and support of one woman saw him through.

It's a beautiful movie...I really enjoyed it. I hope it gets some Oscars...it's inspirational and everyone will take something different away from it. The acting was AWESOME! I've always loved Reese Witherspoon. She's just adorable. I really loved that she did all of her own singing. Joaquin Phoenix is a RIOT when he wants to be, and he can make you cry at the drop of a hat. The two of them have excellent chemistry.

SEE IT!

5 stars.

Red Eye

Lisa Reisert is terrified of flying. Therefore, when she has to take the Red Eye flight home from Dallas after her grandmother's funeral, she's a little less than enthused. Things seem to get a little better when she meets Jackson Ripner (Cillian Murphy), who was standing behind her in line at the ticket claim. He's a charming, sweet man who seems to like her immediately. They go for a drink before their flight, say their goodbyes, and board.

'Coincidentally', Jack and Lisa are seated next to each other on the plane. After a rough takeoff, they start making small talk and Jack suddenly starts acting strangely. He starts talking about 'his line of work' which seems to include assassinations and terrorism. He then reveals his true intentions. He wants her to help him in the assassination of the Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security, who is going to be staying in her hotel that very night. If she does not comply, he will kill her father, who sits at home unaware that there is a man sitting outside his house in a silver BMW, sharpening his foot-long knife.

I liked this movie. It wasn't original at all, but I love the way it was structed and set up. Cillian Murphy ('Batman Begins') makes an excellent villian and Rachel McAdams plays her part perfectly. There was nothing spectacular about the camera work, but it wasn't horrible.

I would definitely suggest it. It's a classic thriller, and it will keep you on the edge of your seat.

4 and a half stars.