Newlyweds Jamie (Kwanten) and Lisa Ashen have established a new life for themselves far from their hometown of Ravens Fair--a sleepy, near-forgotten blip on the map haunted by late-night whispers and ghost stories from generations past. But when his wife is gruesomely murdered, Jamie reluctantly returns to Ravens Fair for the funeral, intent on unraveling the mystery surrounding her death. Once back under his family's roof, reunited with his ill father (Gunton) and his father's new young bride (Valletta), Jamie begins to explore the creepy town and encounters the legend of Mary Shaw, a famous murdered ventriloquist whose presence still casts a pall over Ravens Fair. Himself the lead suspect in his wife's murder, Jamie is forced to dig deep into the town's bloody past for answers, where he soon uncovers the truth behind the curse that ended Lisa's life...and threatens to take his as well.
The preview for this movie was the scariest thing I've seen since The Grudge. I was literally afraid of the preview. I had super high expectations for the movie because of this, and I'd have to say that the movie didn't really meet them. However, the movie was still plenty good enough for me to have loved it. That's a pretty rare occurance and I must give kudos to the filmmakers for being able to pull that off. There were plenty of moments in the movie that made both WW and I jump or cover our eyes because let's be honest people that there are few things scarier than creepy old people and creepy dolls.
I fully recommend people checking this out . . . . . especially horror buffs. The best part is the last five minutes when it all ties together. I actually want to go see this again because of that.
Shooter
Shooter is an action-packed thriller starring Mark Wahlberg as Bob Lee Swagger, a former Army sniper who leaves the military after a mission goes bad. After he is reluctantly pressed back into service, Swagger is double-crossed again. With two bullets in him and the subject of a nationwide manhunt, Swagger begins his revenge, which will take down the most powerful people in the country.
This movie is your typical action/revenge movie a la Steven Segal in the 80s. Dude gets screwed and he wants payback at all costs. Conveniently all of his bullets hit the target while all the ones aimed at him miss. All kidding aside, the movie wasn't that bad. It was totally formula but it was watchable. The only thing that I wasn't a really big fan of was that it was 2 hours long. This easily could have been an hour and a half or an hour and 45 minutes and it would have been much better.
I would recommend this to people. It's nowhere near a must see but it is definitely watchable if you are in to these kinds of movies.
This movie is your typical action/revenge movie a la Steven Segal in the 80s. Dude gets screwed and he wants payback at all costs. Conveniently all of his bullets hit the target while all the ones aimed at him miss. All kidding aside, the movie wasn't that bad. It was totally formula but it was watchable. The only thing that I wasn't a really big fan of was that it was 2 hours long. This easily could have been an hour and a half or an hour and 45 minutes and it would have been much better.
I would recommend this to people. It's nowhere near a must see but it is definitely watchable if you are in to these kinds of movies.
Reno 911: Miami
The brave men and women of the Washoe County Sheriff's Department -- the thin khaki line that keeps Reno, Nevada on the straight and narrow -- star in their first feature film, based on the hit Comedy Central television series. The deputies of the Reno Sheriffs Department attend a law enforcement convention in Miami Beach, where the motley crew is charged with protecting the city after bioterrorists attack the convention.
I've never watched the show on Comedy Central. When I saw ads for it, I wrote the show off as a spoof version of Cops that wouldn't really be that funny after the five minute funniness wore off of the premise. I thought that it would have made for a really funny SNL type skit, but a full length show? And now a full length movie? I was skeptical to say the least. After seeing the movie, I feel that my original thought is pretty justified. Not to say that there aren't some really big laughs in the movie, but I didn't think that there were nearly enough to justify me strongly recommending the movie. I'm sure that anyone who likes the show would love the movie, but I thought that it was kind of on the poopish side. Mr. Cinco is very sorry to any Carolinans that might be offended by this review.
I wouldn't really recommend this movie to anyone who isn't a fan of the show. If you like the show - enjoy the movie.
I've never watched the show on Comedy Central. When I saw ads for it, I wrote the show off as a spoof version of Cops that wouldn't really be that funny after the five minute funniness wore off of the premise. I thought that it would have made for a really funny SNL type skit, but a full length show? And now a full length movie? I was skeptical to say the least. After seeing the movie, I feel that my original thought is pretty justified. Not to say that there aren't some really big laughs in the movie, but I didn't think that there were nearly enough to justify me strongly recommending the movie. I'm sure that anyone who likes the show would love the movie, but I thought that it was kind of on the poopish side. Mr. Cinco is very sorry to any Carolinans that might be offended by this review.
I wouldn't really recommend this movie to anyone who isn't a fan of the show. If you like the show - enjoy the movie.
The Abandoned
An American film producer named Marie returns to her homeland, Russia, where her Mother's dead body has been found under bizarre circumstances. She never knew her, having been adopted and brought to America as a baby. The only clue to what might have happened is an isolated, abandoned farm in the mountains that supposedly belonged to her natural parents. Being the only next of kin, she inherits the place, but no one will take her there as local superstitions state that the area is haunted. Only one man will help her, a stranger that oddly seems to know quite a bit about her history. But once arrived, the guide mysteriously disappears, forcing Marie to explore the derelict location alone. She discovers someone else on the property, Nikolai, who claims to have been lured there exactly in the same manner, so he could discover the truth behind his unknown past as well. They become stranded in the immense compound, plagued by terrifying ghosts and visions.
I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the only way that anyone knows about this movie is because of the movie posters and numerous internet ads with the baby doll head with different colored eyes and blood trickling out of one of them. I should mention that the massively advertised doll has nothing to do with this movie and is not featured at any point. I digress. This movie overall was decent. The beginning was brutally boring. The middle with the two people trying to figure out what is going on and the ghostly visions was awesome. Then, the end seemed a little bit too choppy to me with the going back and forth between the past and present before everything finally came together. Average out the three parts of the movie and you get a pretty decent suspense/thriller. I definitely think it could have been better, but it could have been a whole lot worse. For the record, WW liked this movie a lot more than I did which would make me think that horror/thriller movie buffs would probably really like this one.
I would moderately recommend this movie. It never really went wide in theaters, but is kind of worth the rental fee if you like these kinds of movies.
I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the only way that anyone knows about this movie is because of the movie posters and numerous internet ads with the baby doll head with different colored eyes and blood trickling out of one of them. I should mention that the massively advertised doll has nothing to do with this movie and is not featured at any point. I digress. This movie overall was decent. The beginning was brutally boring. The middle with the two people trying to figure out what is going on and the ghostly visions was awesome. Then, the end seemed a little bit too choppy to me with the going back and forth between the past and present before everything finally came together. Average out the three parts of the movie and you get a pretty decent suspense/thriller. I definitely think it could have been better, but it could have been a whole lot worse. For the record, WW liked this movie a lot more than I did which would make me think that horror/thriller movie buffs would probably really like this one.
I would moderately recommend this movie. It never really went wide in theaters, but is kind of worth the rental fee if you like these kinds of movies.
Bridge To Terabithia
Bridge to Terabithia is a fantasy/adventure story of friendship, family and the power of imagination. Jess Aarons (Josh Hutcherson) is an outsider at school and even in his own family. Jess has trained all summer to become the fastest kid in his middle school class but his goal is unexpectedly thwarted by the new girl in school, Leslie Burke (AnnaSophia Robb) who competes in the "boys only" race and wins. Despite their awkward introduction, the two outsiders quickly become best friends. Leslie loves to tell stories of fantasy and magic. Jess loves to draw, but until he met Leslie it was something he kept to himself. Leslie opens a new world of imagination for Jess. Together they create the secret kingdom of Terabithia, a magical place only accessible by swinging on an old rope over a stream in the woods near their homes. There, the friends rule the kingdom, fight the Dark Master and his creatures and plot against the school bullies. Thanks to his friendship with Leslie, Jess is changed for good.
Very rarely will a movie be so completely misadvertised and still be so incredibly good that you end up loving the movie anyway. The bottom line is that I thought I was walking in to a Chronicles Of Narnia type movie and ended up getting My Girl in return. However, like I said, it was so incredibly well done that I didn't care that much and totally loved the movie. The filmmakers did such an amazing job at catching the awkwardness of childhood. The movie is a perfect one to take your kids to so that they can see the power of imaginiation instead of the power of a wireless controller for their new video gaming system. Just a heads up for all parents who don't want to be blindsided by the incredibly depressing conversations that may ensue with your child on the way home - a major character dies. I couldn't imagine anything worse that thinking you'll be talking about the cool effects on the way home and end up having to try to explain death. Even with that stomach punch of a character killing, I absolutely loved this movie.
I fully recommend this movie to children and adults alike. Just be forewarned that its nothing like the Narnia-ish commercial. It's has some occasional fantasy elements, but is honestly an amazing character drama about growing up and the power of your imagination.
Very rarely will a movie be so completely misadvertised and still be so incredibly good that you end up loving the movie anyway. The bottom line is that I thought I was walking in to a Chronicles Of Narnia type movie and ended up getting My Girl in return. However, like I said, it was so incredibly well done that I didn't care that much and totally loved the movie. The filmmakers did such an amazing job at catching the awkwardness of childhood. The movie is a perfect one to take your kids to so that they can see the power of imaginiation instead of the power of a wireless controller for their new video gaming system. Just a heads up for all parents who don't want to be blindsided by the incredibly depressing conversations that may ensue with your child on the way home - a major character dies. I couldn't imagine anything worse that thinking you'll be talking about the cool effects on the way home and end up having to try to explain death. Even with that stomach punch of a character killing, I absolutely loved this movie.
I fully recommend this movie to children and adults alike. Just be forewarned that its nothing like the Narnia-ish commercial. It's has some occasional fantasy elements, but is honestly an amazing character drama about growing up and the power of your imagination.
Primeval
In one of the most remote places on earth, a bloodthirsty serial killer has claimed over 300 victims, and is still at large to this day. Now, inspired by the true story of the world's most prolific killer, comes Primeval, a horror-thriller that follows an American news crew determined to capture this terrifying murderer alive. The danger begins as producer Tim Freeman (Dominic Purcell, "Prison Break"), cameraman Steven Johnson (Orlando Jones) and their rag-tag team set out on a journey up-river in search of their subject. But the deeper they probe into the mystery of this elusive assassin, the deadlier their trip becomes.
Does anything in the above summary lead you to remotely believe that the most prolific serial killer of all time is NOT a human being? I didn't think so. Because of that, this movie will go down in the history of advertising as one of the most falsely advertised movies ever! WW and I went in to this one expecting a Texas Chainsaw Massacre type thing with some sort of a serial killer in Africa. I expected cheesiness, but never in a million years thought that the most prolific serial killer in the history of the world would be . . . . . . . . a big alligator with ninja like skills named Gustav. No - I'm not kidding. I wish to God that I was, people! The movie was basically "Lake Placid" but they were trying to take themselves seriously. How in the blue hell can an alligator be considered a serial killer!?! Isn't a serial killer supposed to plan out its kills and be vindictive or something? It's an alligator! Um . . . . . . don't go near the water? The only slightly redeeming quality about this movie is that once you start to come to grips with being so incredibly duped, the alligator actually does look pretty cool when its chasing people down and stuff. Usually, filmakers screw the pooch when they try to capture that kind of stuff.
I wouldn't recommend anyone seeing this movie. Not even knowing about the whole serial killer/alligator thing. It's basically a really big pile of steaming poop . . . . . serial killing alligator poop.
Does anything in the above summary lead you to remotely believe that the most prolific serial killer of all time is NOT a human being? I didn't think so. Because of that, this movie will go down in the history of advertising as one of the most falsely advertised movies ever! WW and I went in to this one expecting a Texas Chainsaw Massacre type thing with some sort of a serial killer in Africa. I expected cheesiness, but never in a million years thought that the most prolific serial killer in the history of the world would be . . . . . . . . a big alligator with ninja like skills named Gustav. No - I'm not kidding. I wish to God that I was, people! The movie was basically "Lake Placid" but they were trying to take themselves seriously. How in the blue hell can an alligator be considered a serial killer!?! Isn't a serial killer supposed to plan out its kills and be vindictive or something? It's an alligator! Um . . . . . . don't go near the water? The only slightly redeeming quality about this movie is that once you start to come to grips with being so incredibly duped, the alligator actually does look pretty cool when its chasing people down and stuff. Usually, filmakers screw the pooch when they try to capture that kind of stuff.
I wouldn't recommend anyone seeing this movie. Not even knowing about the whole serial killer/alligator thing. It's basically a really big pile of steaming poop . . . . . serial killing alligator poop.
Ghost Rider
From Marvel Comics, comes a new hero... Ghost Rider. Long ago, superstar motorcycle stunt rider Johnny Blaze made a deal with the devil to protect the ones he loved most: his father and his childhood sweetheart, Roxanne (Eva Mendes). Now, the devil has come for his due. By day, Johnny is a die-hard stunt rider... but at night, in the presence of evil, he becomes the Ghost Rider, a bounty hunter of rogue demons. Forced to do the devil's bidding, Johnny is determined to confront his fate and use his curse and powers to defend the innocent.
When it comes to comic book movies, I seem to always put them on a sliding scale. There are the Spider-Man movies, the X-Men movies, and the original Batman (as well as Batman Begins) in the upper tier. Then there are the middle of the road comic book movies like Batmans two and three from the orginal franchise, Fantastic Four, and the Blade franchise. Then there are the stupid ones like Daredevil and The Punisher. I would put Ghost Rider in the middle of the road category. It wasn't good enough to be considered one of the greats but was far from being a steaming pile of dung. They developed the character enough in the beginning, the effects on Ghost Rider were really cool, and the action/fight scenes were pretty good. I think the biggest thing holding this movie back was the villian. He wasn't a big name villian and he really didn't seem like much of a match for Ghost Rider.
I would recommend this movie as being worthy of checking out. It's not totally awesome, but it is definitely above average.
When it comes to comic book movies, I seem to always put them on a sliding scale. There are the Spider-Man movies, the X-Men movies, and the original Batman (as well as Batman Begins) in the upper tier. Then there are the middle of the road comic book movies like Batmans two and three from the orginal franchise, Fantastic Four, and the Blade franchise. Then there are the stupid ones like Daredevil and The Punisher. I would put Ghost Rider in the middle of the road category. It wasn't good enough to be considered one of the greats but was far from being a steaming pile of dung. They developed the character enough in the beginning, the effects on Ghost Rider were really cool, and the action/fight scenes were pretty good. I think the biggest thing holding this movie back was the villian. He wasn't a big name villian and he really didn't seem like much of a match for Ghost Rider.
I would recommend this movie as being worthy of checking out. It's not totally awesome, but it is definitely above average.
Breach
When young Eric O'Neill (Phillippe) is promoted out of his low-level surveillance job and into the headquarters of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, his dream of becoming a full-fledged agent is on the verge of becoming reality. Even more impressive, O'Neill is hand picked to work for renowned operative Robert Hanssen (Cooper) within "information assurance," a new division created to protect all classified FBI Intelligence. But O'Neill is quickly confronted with the true reason behind his hire: Hanssen is the sole subject of a long-term, top-secret investigation, a suspected mole made all the more dangerous by the sheer global import of the information he is charged with protecting. The Bureau asks O'Neill to use Hanssen's growing trust and slowly draw the traitor out of deep cover. Engaged in a lethal game of spy-versus-spy without the benefit of a cover story or backup, O'Neill finds himself fighting to bring down Hanssen before the treacherous double-agent can destroy O'Neill, his family and the nation they are both sworn to serve.
I liked this movie a lot. Chris Cooper is probably the most underrated actor in all of Hollywood. I don't think that this guy has ever been bad in any role he has portrayed. The same can be said for Laura Linney who plays the FBI agent that is running the investigation case against Hansenn. The two of them even managed to make Ryan Phillipe look like an awesome actor. That's how well done and acted this movie was. The only slight knock that I would make against it is that the advertising made it seem like it would be more edge of your seat suspense, which there really wasn't any of that. It was more of a smart thriller and definitely kept you interested, but not in a surprise thriller kind of way.
Regardless, I would fully recommend everyone checking this movie out. It is by far one of the better movies on shelves right now.
I liked this movie a lot. Chris Cooper is probably the most underrated actor in all of Hollywood. I don't think that this guy has ever been bad in any role he has portrayed. The same can be said for Laura Linney who plays the FBI agent that is running the investigation case against Hansenn. The two of them even managed to make Ryan Phillipe look like an awesome actor. That's how well done and acted this movie was. The only slight knock that I would make against it is that the advertising made it seem like it would be more edge of your seat suspense, which there really wasn't any of that. It was more of a smart thriller and definitely kept you interested, but not in a surprise thriller kind of way.
Regardless, I would fully recommend everyone checking this movie out. It is by far one of the better movies on shelves right now.
The Messengers
There is evidence to suggest that children are highly susceptible to paranormal phenomenon. They can see what adults cannot, they believe what adults deny. And they are trying to warn us. In The Messengers, a thriller starring Kristen Stewart, Dylan McDermott, Penelope Ann Miller and John Corbett, the Solomon family has left big city life for a secluded farm in North Dakota. Soon after they arrive at their new home, 16 year-old Jess and her 3 year old brother begin seeing ominous apparitions that no one else can see, and are repeatedly attacked by something from the other side. Now they must try desperately to warn the rest of the family before it's too late.
This movie was really really good for 9/10 of it. As usual with these types of spooky, make you jump out of your seat movies it is very hard to cross the finish line. They always seem to be the right amount of creepy and has you sitting on the edge of the seat and then it's time for the grand finale and you are kind of left staring at the screen like a confused dog with your head to the side thinking "what?" Even though this movie made WW (she lives for these kind of movies by the way) and I both feel that way, the movie was still very enjoyable. Even as the movie was winding down in a mostly lame way, we were both still sitting on the edge of our seats and jumping out of them. Well, WW was jumping out of her seat. I was merely jumping out of the way of her elbows of death that she likes to throw towards my ribs when she is scared during a movie.
I would recommend this movie regardless of the off ending. It's very much worth viewing especially if you like these kinds of movies.
This movie was really really good for 9/10 of it. As usual with these types of spooky, make you jump out of your seat movies it is very hard to cross the finish line. They always seem to be the right amount of creepy and has you sitting on the edge of the seat and then it's time for the grand finale and you are kind of left staring at the screen like a confused dog with your head to the side thinking "what?" Even though this movie made WW (she lives for these kind of movies by the way) and I both feel that way, the movie was still very enjoyable. Even as the movie was winding down in a mostly lame way, we were both still sitting on the edge of our seats and jumping out of them. Well, WW was jumping out of her seat. I was merely jumping out of the way of her elbows of death that she likes to throw towards my ribs when she is scared during a movie.
I would recommend this movie regardless of the off ending. It's very much worth viewing especially if you like these kinds of movies.
Norbit
Norbit (Eddie Murphy) has never had it easy. As a baby, he was abandoned on the steps of a Chinese restaurant/orphanage and raised by Mr. Wong (Eddie Murphy). Things get worse when he's forced into marriage by the mean, junk food-chugging queen, Rasputia (Eddie Murphy). Just when Norbit's hanging by his last thread, his childhood sweetheart, Kate (Thandie Newton), moves back to town.
This is basically just another chance to watch Eddie Murphy play as many characters as possible in one movie. It worked amazingly well with The Nutty Professor because I still think that when he played the whole family at the dinner scene is one of the funniest scenes in a movie ever. As far as Norbit goes, there are some really funny moments and you find yourself laughing really hard from time to time. Unfortunately, the overall story is beyond lame and kind of holds the funniness back at times. Eddie Murphy is still one of the funniest people alive though.
I would recommend people checking this movie out if they're looking for a laugh. It's not a great movie, but there are definitely some really worthy funny moments.
This is basically just another chance to watch Eddie Murphy play as many characters as possible in one movie. It worked amazingly well with The Nutty Professor because I still think that when he played the whole family at the dinner scene is one of the funniest scenes in a movie ever. As far as Norbit goes, there are some really funny moments and you find yourself laughing really hard from time to time. Unfortunately, the overall story is beyond lame and kind of holds the funniness back at times. Eddie Murphy is still one of the funniest people alive though.
I would recommend people checking this movie out if they're looking for a laugh. It's not a great movie, but there are definitely some really worthy funny moments.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)