Ellen Page

Ellen Page made her acting debut in the movie Pit Pony. She rose to prominence first with the movie "Hard Candy" and even more in her starring role as "Juno". She is known for her quirky humor and very eclectic roles in movies.

Hard Candy

Hard Candy is the story of a seemingly innocent teenage girl who meets a man online. The girl (played by a very capable Ellen Page) plans to meet up with the man (equally matched by Patrick Wilson) presumably for sex. After they meet up at a coffee shop, Jeff (Wilson) invites Hayley (Page) to his house. While at first it shows Hayley being the victim, once the characters arrive at Jeff's house, things get turned upside down. As the movie progresses, the character both switch from playing one character to playing a character with a completely different personality. Page really flexes her acting chops, showing that she knows how to play a innocent young girl and a young woman with a dark secret. Wilson also knows how to play a character with such conflicting emotions. The movie really shines when the story gets flipped and the actors really dive into their characters. For this reason, I give the movie a rating of 4.5.

Juno

Juno tells the story of a teenager who finds out that she's pregnant. Rather than getting wrapped up in the emotions of pregnancy, Juno (Page) approaches the situation with a good sense of humor. The father of the child, Paulie Bleeker (Michael Cera) isn't the stereotypical babydaddy, and while Juno deals with being a new mother, Bleeker has virtually no role as a father save for the beginning of the movie. The movie reaches new heights of funny, thanks to a spot on script by Diablo Cody (for which she won an Oscar) and Page delivers her lines perfect. Other bright spots are Juno's happy-go-lucky father (J.K. Simmons) and the soundtrack. Overall I rate the movie 4.

Average Rating for Ellen Page: 4.25

Rachel McAdams

Rachel McAdams breakout role was in the movie "My Name is Tananino" but she really rose to prominence playing the evil role of Regina George in Mean Girls. She has since gone on to start in an eclectic range of movies, spanning across multiple genres. Here are some of her movies:

Mean Girls

Mean Girls is a movie about teenage Cady Heron (Lindsay Lohan) who changes from living in Africa for her whole life, to moving to a normal high school. Along the way she is taught everything she needs to know about high school from outcast art student Janice Ian (Lizzy Caplan) and her diva sidekick Damien (Daniel Franzese). Janice convinves Cady to shed her new girl image and take down a group of girls called "The Plastics". The plastics, consisting of Regina George (McAdams), Gretchen Weiners (Lacey Chabert) and Karen Smith (Amanda Seyfried are the resident mean/popular girls of the school. The movie starts off as not very promising, appearing as another high school comedy. Mean Girls does, however, elevate its premise to new heights, thanks in no small part to a spot on script by Tina Fey. McAdams is the real star of the movie, delivering her lines with the perfect amount of malice and girlish charm. Despite being 8 years older than the character she plays, McAdams captures the character perfectly. The supporting characters are also bright spots, most notably Caplan, Chabert, and Seyfried. Overall I give the movie a 4, mostly because of the fact that it leaves expectations behind at the opening credits, and proves that high school drama really does have a lot to say for itself, more so than most adults would think.

Red Eye

Red Eye is a thriller film directed by Wes Craven. In the film, McAdams plays a young Hotel Manager who is returning home after her grandmother's funeral. Due to her fear of flying, she is apprehensive throughout the beginning of the film. Along the way she meets Jackson Rippner (Cillian Murphy) when she first shares a drink with him at the airport and then again when her seat is next to him. At first she is charmed by his demeanor but that quickly changes when he reveals to her a plot to assassinate the secretary of Homeland Security and his family. What sets this thriller apart from other thrillers is Craven's ability to simplify a complex set up. It's not easy working in only two lead actors and virtually no supporters to a movie that requires a lot of plot set up. Also McAdams and especially Murphy light up the screen as a pair of people matching their wits against each other. Murphy embodies all that is ruthless and cunning in a terrorist bent on assassination. His clever ploys are played out convincingly as he faces off against McAdams' character's more naive ways of operating. Over all I give the movie a 4. The plot is a simple one, and Craven does a lot with it, and also the two leads.

Average Rating for Rachel McAdams: 4

Edward Norton

Edward Norton made his acting debut in the movie Primal Fear, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Norton has, on numerous occasions described himself as more of a worker than an actor. He has been quoted as saying that if he can't use the subway, he'll quit acting. Here are some of his movies:

American History X

American History X tells the story of a young boy whose Neo-Nazi brother has just returned from prison for committing a hate crime. The movie is told anachronically, with scenes from present day interspersed with scenes from Norton's character's past, including when he was in jail. The movie really lies in Norton's performance. While Derek's younger brother played by Edward Furlong gives a solid performance as a misguided teen, the movie is definitely a chance for Norton to flex his acting chops. He completely embodies both the hateful, maliced bigot who constantly shows his disdain for people, and also the deeply remorseful, changed man who wants his past to not cloud his future. Overall I give the movie a 3.5. It's not the best story, nor the most compelling writing, but as far as the performances are concerned, it's top notch.

The Incredible Hulk

The Incredible Hulk is another stab at the title character franchise. This time around Edward Norton dons the green skin and purple shorts. Hulk tells the story of Bruce Banner (Norton)'s struggle to not only deal with his new transformation, but to also find a cure for it. The Incredible Hulk not only succeeds where it has a brute smashing his way through the city in rage, but also where it tells how heavy the emotional toll is on Banner. Liv Tyler is rather weak as Betty, Banner's love interest, and her chemistry with Norton could use work but focus more on the story and not on the romance, and you'll find yourself in a good place. Overall I give the movie a 4. It keeps me entertained on the explosions, epic level, but also keeps me involved on the emotional level.

Average Rating for Edward Norton: 3.75