Ken Burns' The Civil War (1990)

Genre: Documentary

Running Time: 680 min

Plot: The chronicle of the most disastrous war in the United States History.

Review: This was made for T.V. and is over four hours long, but entirely worth watching. Ken Burns did a wonderful job as a neutral filmmaker showing the perspective and emotions from both the North and South. Instead of filming corny reenactments like a bad Halloween party, Burns put together wonder narratives and real photos describing the lives of real soldiers. If you are a fan of history or war, this is one of the best documentaries ever made.

Quote you might say after watching this: "I wish I knew this existed while I had to write all of my Civil War papers while I was in school."

Bottled Youth Movie Review Rating: 10/10 bottles

The Grey (2012)

Genre: Action & Drama

Running Time: 117 min

Plot: Liam Neeson is a hired gun to help protect oil workers in Alaska from Wolves and other wildlife. A plane full of workers traveling to a larger city malfunctions and crashes and leaves a small group of survivors in the Alaskan wilderness. Karma kicks in and the survivors "try" to fend off a pack of blood lusting wolves.

Review: Ever since Liam Neeson was in "Taken" the word is obsessed with this mid-aged badassness. I have to agree because lets face it, he is epic in all of his films. "The Grey" hooked me from the trailer with the scene where it looks like Neeson straps on broken glass and is going to box a wolf. What can be more entertaining than a man boxing a wolf..... surprisingly this movie topped my expectations.

The wolves are gigantic and vicious, and leads me to believe that they were a pack of "Dire Wolves" from classic RPGs. You can't help to feel sorrow for the men in the movie because they don't have a damn prayer to survive the onslaught. Can you imagine surviving a terrible plane crash only to be mauled to death... that's a horrible day. I was on the edge of my seat groaning and laughing at the fact that these wolves make men look like cattle. The scene where they jump across a ravine to trees is epic and gave me slight memories of "Cliffhanger" or "Vertical Limit." It's a slower pace action movie that has flashbacks to set up character development, so if you want a balls to the wall action, this is not for you.

Quote you might say after watching this: "Once more into the fray. Into the last good fight I'll ever know. Live and die on this day. Live and die on this day."

Bottled Youth Movie Review Rating: 8/10 bottles

Black Swan (2010)

Genre: Drama

Running Time: 108 min

Plot: A New York City ballet company wants to reinvent itself with a new adaptation of Swan Lake. Portman wins the starring role of the Swan Queen and quickly unravels with all the pressure of being the face of one of the most prestigious ballet companies.

Review: Have you ever wondered what it would feel like going through a nervous breakdown and on the edge of psychosis? Black Swan delivers this feeling to the audience as they sit back and enjoy a truly unique story.

You might wonder what actually happens in the movie and you realize that you are in the same boat as Portman's character. You think one thing happens, but it turns out to be a fantasy or a mind trick she plays on herself. The intensity builds and builds and explodes in chaotic beauty during the final performance.

I have never felt the way that I did after the film ended, and I'm guessing the entire movie theatre felt the same way because it was completely silent. After a few seconds to process what just happened you can hear a stir of echos of cheering mixed with confused comments. Black Swan is one of the darkest movies I've seen and it is not meant for everyone. If you are curious about what movies should do to audiences, Black Swan is a perfect example to get people talking and is now one of my favorites.

Quote you might say after watching this: "What just happened? I will never mess with a ballet dancer again."

Bottled Youth Movie Review Rating: 10/10 bottles

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010)

Genre: Drama

Running Time: 146 min

Plot: Harry drops out of Hogwarts on a race against time to seek and destroy the Horcruxes, while discovering the three most powerful objects in the wizarding world. Ron and Hermione join Harry in part one of the finale to the highest selling saga of all time.

Review: I can't help but compare The Deathly Hallows: Part 1 to LOTR: The Fellowship of the Ring. The movie is centered around traveling all over the place but not really getting anywhere. Just like the Fellowship, a close group of heroes sacrifice their safety to destroy the tools of the most evil entity known in their world. Part 1 like the Fellowship is only there to set up the plot and build up the drama that will happen in the real finale.

Even though Part 1 is only a "filler" movie, it still builds on the great story of Harry Potter and will leave you wanting more. If you are a stuck up Harry Potter book fan who always complains about the movies... don't watch them because you ruin it for everyone else who doesn't care about the things that they changed just for the movie.

This is a must see if you are a movie fan.

Quote you might say after watching this: "I can't wait to see the real finale... I bet one of the Horcruxes is going to be in Mt. Doom! "

Bottled Youth Movie Review Rating: 8.5/10 bottles

The Social Network (2010)

Genre: Drama

Running Time: 121 min

Plot: The story behind the founders of Facebook and the lawsuits that were filed after its tremendous success.

Review: Do you remember the good ol' times when Facebook was "The Facebook?" I'm pretty sure I only went to college to get an university email address so I could create a Facebook account. I can't even explain how much I hate the new Facebook because it lost all of it's luster and added pointless brainwashing applications. Yes, I still have an account but most days I wonder why...

Mark Zuckerberg, the mastermind behind Facebook is truly a interesting person, and Jesse Eisenberg did a great job. I love how he did some of the things he did (Facematch) just because he could. Most of the relationships that he has are very awkward and hilarious and I can only hope that they were not made up just for the movie. He is by far the best character in the entire movie with a supporting cast of people who are good at complaining.

As the movie was progressing, I discovered why I don't like Facebook anymore... and it was when Sean Parker, the creator of Napster weaseled his way into the company. Yes, he helped Facebook explode into the global phenomenon, but in lost it's core principles it had when it was created.

It is a great movie to watch no matter what your views are on the most popular social network. By the end of the movie you kind of feel bad for Zuckerberg, then you realize that the money he lost in the lawsuits didn't even make a dent in his bank account...

Quote you might say after watching this: "I wonder how many people updated their Facebook Status while they were watching The Social Network?"

Bottled Youth Movie Review Rating: 9/10 bottles

Never Let Me Go (2010)

Genre: Drama

Running Time: 103 min

Plot: The life of love and betrayal of a group of perfectly awkward (so we think) British boarding school students. These so-called students go through their pre-designed lives with the knowledge that their sole purpose for existence is organ donation.

Review: I was fantastically surprised with this (seemed to be) drama about the two most common feelings in life: love and betrayal. It started out just like other life-drama movies with a group of people who create friendships and betray each other for their own jealous reasons and blah blah blah. Everything seemed normal except for the bracelets that the children had to wear to get in and out of the boarding school.

It turns out that these children are in many ways human versions of "Free-range Chickens." The movie gets interesting and sucks you in when the new teacher reveals the secret of what the boarding school actually is: A business of raising humans for, what I call "the supermarket of Organs." This is where the movie gets really strange, because these children seem to accept that they will not have a life of their own and will be harvested for their "Original."

Some things were not exactly clear about if these children were clones, test-tube babies, or only orphans, but I actually love how the movie left this ambiguous because the focus should be on how a society could even think about having a business that harvests human parts that can save the lives of others.... kill people to save people.

Overall, the movie is slow-paced but it is full of emotion and above average acting. The movie will tug at your heart strings especially towards the end when you realize that there is no hope and the power of love doesn't mean anything in a pre-determined life.

Quote you might say after watching this: "I'm glad I'm not British because they're all sorts of crazy."

Bottled Youth Movie Review Rating: 7.5/10 bottles