In Next, Nicolas Cage plays a man with the unique ability to see future events and affect their outcome. Relentlessly pursued by the FBI, which is seeking to use his abilities to prevent a global terrorist threat, he is ultimately faced with the daunting choice of saving the world or the woman he loves.
This movie was advertised as a non-stop action flick with a decent premise and legitamate actors in it. Unfortunately, there was pretty much no action whatsoever in what I saw and I pulled the plug after about an hour of suffering. Many thanks to WW for agreeing to pull the plug. She truly is glorious! Anywho, the movie was nowhere near glorious. It was downright putrid. I didn't care about Nicolas Cage or the woman he loves . . . . . whom he just met yesterday. If the character could really see to the next two minutes of his future, I wonder if he knew that I was going to walk out?
I would never recommend this movie to anyone . . . . . ever. I won't even bother watching the last twenty minutes when this bad boy ends up on cable becuase it was such poop.
Knocked Up
Allison Scott (Heigl) is an up-and-coming entertainment journalist whose 24-year-old life is on the fast track. But it gets seriously derailed when a drunken one-nighter with slacker Ben Stone (Rogen) results in an unwanted pregnancy. Faced with the prospect of going it alone or getting to know the baby's father, Allison decides to give the lovable doof a chance. An overgrown kid who has no desire to settle down, Ben learns that he has a big decision to make with his kid's mom-to-be: will he hit the road or stay in the picture?
I went in to this movie with very high expectations of it being beyond hysterical. Unfortunately, while there were some funny parts and some good one-liners, it wasn't too rooted in the realm of hysterical. It was one of those movies that starts out as a sophomoric comedy but ends up a heartwarming drama. Maybe I just don't get the sit around and get stoned out of your mind thing as being really humorous like the characters of Ben and his friends. That might have taken away from the humor for me. Putting that aside though, the heartwarming part is because of the really well developed and likable characters, especially Ben and Alison's sister and brother in law. They really kind of carried the movie to a level of decency for me.
I would lukewarmly recommend people checking this movie out. It wasn't awesome. It wasn't horrible. It's a somewhat better than average viewing though.
I went in to this movie with very high expectations of it being beyond hysterical. Unfortunately, while there were some funny parts and some good one-liners, it wasn't too rooted in the realm of hysterical. It was one of those movies that starts out as a sophomoric comedy but ends up a heartwarming drama. Maybe I just don't get the sit around and get stoned out of your mind thing as being really humorous like the characters of Ben and his friends. That might have taken away from the humor for me. Putting that aside though, the heartwarming part is because of the really well developed and likable characters, especially Ben and Alison's sister and brother in law. They really kind of carried the movie to a level of decency for me.
I would lukewarmly recommend people checking this movie out. It wasn't awesome. It wasn't horrible. It's a somewhat better than average viewing though.
Bug
A lonely waitress with a tragic past, Agnes rooms in a run-down motel, living in fear of her abusive, recently paroled ex-husband. But when Agnes begins a tentative romance with Peter, an eccentric, nervous drifter, she starts to feel hopeful again - until the first bugs arrive...
I was so psyched to see this movie. The preview looked awesome and bug paranoia has always been one of those mind blowing fears. Unfortunately - this movie was horrible. And when I say horrible I mean that it might truly be one of the worst things I've ever seen. This movie was essentially an hour and 45 minutes of a coked out white trash waitress and a paranoid nutjob talking to each other. If you don't want me to ruin the movie for you, go ahead and skip to the last paragraph. Now that you have been warned . . . . . . . THERE ARE NO F'N BUGS! It's all in their heads . . . . their incredibly annoying heads. I hate that I actually watched this movie to the end telling myself over and over that it would get better. What in the blue hell was Ashley Judd thinking!?!
I would never recommend that anyone check this movie out . . . . . ever. This is seriously one of the worst movies ever.
I was so psyched to see this movie. The preview looked awesome and bug paranoia has always been one of those mind blowing fears. Unfortunately - this movie was horrible. And when I say horrible I mean that it might truly be one of the worst things I've ever seen. This movie was essentially an hour and 45 minutes of a coked out white trash waitress and a paranoid nutjob talking to each other. If you don't want me to ruin the movie for you, go ahead and skip to the last paragraph. Now that you have been warned . . . . . . . THERE ARE NO F'N BUGS! It's all in their heads . . . . their incredibly annoying heads. I hate that I actually watched this movie to the end telling myself over and over that it would get better. What in the blue hell was Ashley Judd thinking!?!
I would never recommend that anyone check this movie out . . . . . ever. This is seriously one of the worst movies ever.
Black Book
Holland 1944 - The final years of the Second World War find the beautiful singer Rachel Stein (Carice Van Houten) taking refuge with the Tsjempkema family in rural Holland. Once a popular and wealthy singer, Rachel has been waiting out the war like many Jews in Europe, separated from her family and a moment away from being caught by the Gestapo. Her temporary safe-house is destroyed by an Allied bomber under fire by a German fighter and Rachel is left in the arms of Rob (Michel Huisman), a sympathetic young boy, who promises to help her to safety. The next morning, Rob takes Rachel to her contact in town, who she hopes will help her find her family and escape across into liberated territory. Rachel's voyage takes off from there as she continuously struggles for survival with numerous allies from both sides of the war.
Just a heads up that I didn't know about until renting this. Its a foreign movie. So, if you don't do subtitles - don't do this movie. That being said - I have a very simple rule of what makes a subtitled movie good or not. Whenever you are enjoying a foreign movie so much that you forget that you are actually reading the words on the screen - its good. This movie was not only a good foreign movie after passing my simple test. It was actually a really great movie. The back and forth storyline keeps you very interested and on your toes because you have no idea what will happen next. The suspense was very well crafted and the performances were great . . . . . even though I have no clue who any of the characters were. It really drives home what those poor people had to go through.
I fully recommend this movie for rental . . . . as long as you can handle foreign movies. WW and I both truly enjoyed it.
Just a heads up that I didn't know about until renting this. Its a foreign movie. So, if you don't do subtitles - don't do this movie. That being said - I have a very simple rule of what makes a subtitled movie good or not. Whenever you are enjoying a foreign movie so much that you forget that you are actually reading the words on the screen - its good. This movie was not only a good foreign movie after passing my simple test. It was actually a really great movie. The back and forth storyline keeps you very interested and on your toes because you have no idea what will happen next. The suspense was very well crafted and the performances were great . . . . . even though I have no clue who any of the characters were. It really drives home what those poor people had to go through.
I fully recommend this movie for rental . . . . as long as you can handle foreign movies. WW and I both truly enjoyed it.
We Are Marshall
We Are Marshall tells an inspiring true story set in Huntington, West Virginia, a small town steeped in the rich tradition of college football. For decades, players, coaches, fans and families have come together to cheer on Marshall University's Thundering Herd. For this team and this community, Marshall football is more than just a sport, it's a way of life. But on a fateful night in 1970, while traveling back to Huntington after a game in North Carolina, 75 members of Marshall's football team and coaching staff were killed in a plane crash. As those left behind struggled to cope with the devastating loss of their loved ones, the grieving families found hope and strength in the leadership of Jack Lengyel, a young coach who was determined to rebuild Marshall's football program and in the process helped to heal a community.
As I've said previously in some postings - I am a total sucker for a good underdog sports movie. This one definitely landed right on my sweet spot. Add to the fact that it was based on a true story and had great performances by everyone (especially Matthew McConaughey as the quirky head coach) and the fact that the university is where the New York Jets Chad Pennington went to and he gets a shout out at the end of the movie (Sorry, people. My beloved Jets are in the playoff hunt . . . . J . . . . E . . . . . T . . . . . S . . . . JETS JETS JETS!), I give this movie a big thumbs up.
I recommend this movie. It's not a must see, but worth the rental fee if you have the time.
As I've said previously in some postings - I am a total sucker for a good underdog sports movie. This one definitely landed right on my sweet spot. Add to the fact that it was based on a true story and had great performances by everyone (especially Matthew McConaughey as the quirky head coach) and the fact that the university is where the New York Jets Chad Pennington went to and he gets a shout out at the end of the movie (Sorry, people. My beloved Jets are in the playoff hunt . . . . J . . . . E . . . . . T . . . . . S . . . . JETS JETS JETS!), I give this movie a big thumbs up.
I recommend this movie. It's not a must see, but worth the rental fee if you have the time.
Lucky You
In the world of high-stakes poker, Huck Cheever (Eric Bana) is a blaster—a player who goes all out, all the time. But in his personal relationships, Huck plays it tight, expertly avoiding emotional commitments and long-term expectations. When Huck sets out to win the main event of the 2003 World Series of Poker—and the affections of Billie Offer (Drew Barrymore), a young singer from Bakersfield—there is one significant obstacle in his path: his anger toward his father, L.C. Cheever (Robert Duvall), the poker legend who abandoned Huck's mother years ago. As these two rivals progress toward a final showdown at the poker table, Huck learns that to win in the games of life and poker, he must try to play cards the way he has been living his life and live his life the way he has been playing cards.
I'm sure that this movie would have been a lot better if I was interested in poker in any way, shape or form. However, since I'm not this movie pretty much circled the drain most of the time with long, drawn out scenes of playing poker. The other thing that was a bit annoying was that they repeatedly showed you how impulsive Eric Bana's character was. As if the fact that the movie was totally formula just from reading the above synopsis, they could have simply told us that he can't hold on to his money but instead decided to show us over and over and over . . . . . . and over how fast he could lose his World Series Of Poker entrance fee. By the fourth or fifth time I was ready to turn the movie off. It was a pretty disappointing outing from Eric Bana, Robert Duvall and Drew Barrymore.
I wouldn't recommend anyone (outside of the most avid of poker players) checking this one out. Wait for it on cable.
I'm sure that this movie would have been a lot better if I was interested in poker in any way, shape or form. However, since I'm not this movie pretty much circled the drain most of the time with long, drawn out scenes of playing poker. The other thing that was a bit annoying was that they repeatedly showed you how impulsive Eric Bana's character was. As if the fact that the movie was totally formula just from reading the above synopsis, they could have simply told us that he can't hold on to his money but instead decided to show us over and over and over . . . . . . and over how fast he could lose his World Series Of Poker entrance fee. By the fourth or fifth time I was ready to turn the movie off. It was a pretty disappointing outing from Eric Bana, Robert Duvall and Drew Barrymore.
I wouldn't recommend anyone (outside of the most avid of poker players) checking this one out. Wait for it on cable.
Grindhouse: Death Proof
"Grindhouse" – noun – A downtown movie theater - in disrepair since its glory days as a movie palace of the '30s and '40s - known for "grinding out" non-stop double-bill programs of B-movies. From groundbreaking directors Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez comes the ultimate film experience: a double-bill of thrillers that will recall both filmmakers' favorite exploitation films. Grindhouse will be presented as one full-length feature comprised of two individual films helmed separately by each director. Tarantino's film, Death Proof, is a rip-roaring slasher flick where the killer pursues his victims with a car rather than a knife, while Rodriguez's film explores an alien world eerily familiar to ours in Planet Terror. Welcome to the grind house - it'll tear you in two.
In a ploy to inevitably milk as much money out of the movie enjoying public as possible, the two movies that made up Grindhouse are being released individually on video. This way everyone can buy or rent them seperate and then buy or rent them together when the package that was released in theaters gets put on video shelves over the next year or so I'm sure. Anywho, I didn't check this movie out in theaters because the theater version was over three hours long and even though critics seemed to love it - I just didn't understand the point of this movie ever being made. After seeing one half of Grindhouse, Tarantino's Death Proof, I still have not the slightest clue why this movie was ever made. It's as if Tarantino and Rodriguez (the director of the other half to come out next month - Planet Terror), are stuck in their 13 year old minds where sneaking in to watch B movies was the coolest thing ever and due to their egos being so enormous now (especially Tarantino) and the fact that studios will gladly put anything out there that comes from their directorial talents - something like this gets made. I could see any fan of B movies like this loving them. They did go all out to not only catch the lack of a storyline and really cheesy characters/dialogue, but they also made sure that the quality of the film was that of a B movie played in a crappy theater. There are intentional spots on the screen as if the film is all beat up and there are periodic hiccups in the film as if the movie was crappily edited and what not. As far as the actual "movie" Death Proof, it was basically a set up to two really cool scenes. However, the set up portion was so amazingly brutal that by the time you get to the two cool scenes the payoff doesn't match the time you wasted waiting for it.
I really wouldn't recommend this film to anyone. I really hope that Tarantino will get over himself at some point soon and get back to showcasing his amazing talent instead of his enormous, nerdy ego.
In a ploy to inevitably milk as much money out of the movie enjoying public as possible, the two movies that made up Grindhouse are being released individually on video. This way everyone can buy or rent them seperate and then buy or rent them together when the package that was released in theaters gets put on video shelves over the next year or so I'm sure. Anywho, I didn't check this movie out in theaters because the theater version was over three hours long and even though critics seemed to love it - I just didn't understand the point of this movie ever being made. After seeing one half of Grindhouse, Tarantino's Death Proof, I still have not the slightest clue why this movie was ever made. It's as if Tarantino and Rodriguez (the director of the other half to come out next month - Planet Terror), are stuck in their 13 year old minds where sneaking in to watch B movies was the coolest thing ever and due to their egos being so enormous now (especially Tarantino) and the fact that studios will gladly put anything out there that comes from their directorial talents - something like this gets made. I could see any fan of B movies like this loving them. They did go all out to not only catch the lack of a storyline and really cheesy characters/dialogue, but they also made sure that the quality of the film was that of a B movie played in a crappy theater. There are intentional spots on the screen as if the film is all beat up and there are periodic hiccups in the film as if the movie was crappily edited and what not. As far as the actual "movie" Death Proof, it was basically a set up to two really cool scenes. However, the set up portion was so amazingly brutal that by the time you get to the two cool scenes the payoff doesn't match the time you wasted waiting for it.
I really wouldn't recommend this film to anyone. I really hope that Tarantino will get over himself at some point soon and get back to showcasing his amazing talent instead of his enormous, nerdy ego.
Delta Farce
Delta Farce is a comedy about three blue collar heroes on the military's front line. Down on his luck after losing his job and his girlfriend on the same day, Larry decides to join his neighbor, Bill (Bill Engvall), and his combat-happy buddy, Everett (DJ Qualls), for a relaxing weekend of drinking and target practice. But when the three hapless guys are mistaken for Army Reservists by the hard-nosed Sergeant Kilgrove (Keith David), they're loaded onto an army plane headed for Fallujah, Iraq – and mistakenly ejected in a Humvee somewhere over Mexico. Convinced they're actually in the Middle East, the clueless wannabe soldiers save a rural village from a siege of bandits and become local heroes. But when Carlos Santana (Danny Trejo), a ruthless, karaoke-loving warlord, strikes back, Larry, Bill and Everett have to lay down their beers and take up their arms – and prove they just might be real soldiers after all...
This movie was funnier years ago when Pauly Shore played the same role that Larry The Cable Guy did in this one. It had some occasional laughs, but nowhere near big ones. It was basically these guys doing their Redneck comedy routines as soldiers for a little less than an hour and a half. It really isn't anything to write home about in any way.
I wouldn't recommend anyone rushing out to rent this . . . . or paying to see it in any way. If you happen to be a fan of Engvall or Larry The Cable Guy, wait to see this bad boy on cable. I'm not too sure that you would even like it then.
This movie was funnier years ago when Pauly Shore played the same role that Larry The Cable Guy did in this one. It had some occasional laughs, but nowhere near big ones. It was basically these guys doing their Redneck comedy routines as soldiers for a little less than an hour and a half. It really isn't anything to write home about in any way.
I wouldn't recommend anyone rushing out to rent this . . . . or paying to see it in any way. If you happen to be a fan of Engvall or Larry The Cable Guy, wait to see this bad boy on cable. I'm not too sure that you would even like it then.
Georgia Rule
Rebellious teenager Rachel (Lohan) screams, swears, drinks and is uncontrollable. With her latest car crash, Rachel has broken the final rule in mom Lily's (Huffman) San Francisco home. With nowhere else to take the impulsive and rambunctious girl, Lily hauls her daughter to the one place she swore she'd never return...her own mother's Idaho farm. Matriarch Georgia (Fonda) is not your typical sweet and doting grandmother. She lives her life by a number of unbreakable rules, demanding anyone who shares her home do the same--God comes first and hard work comes a very close second. Now saddled with raising the young woman, it will require each patient breath she takes to understand Rachel's fury. But as Rachel succumbs to her summer of misery and shakes up the tiny Mormon town, Georgia notices something is changing within her granddaughter. Given structure and responsibilities, Rachel is letting her guard down and learning compassion...especially for her mother. Her journey will lead all three women to revelations of buried family secrets and an understanding that the ties that bind can never be broken.
Let me start by saying that I absolutely hate Lindsay Lohan. The only "actress" that I can't stand more than her is Paris Hilton. I watched this movie because I happen to really like Felicity Huffman and the movie had one of those family working things out feel that is usually watchable. The first half of this movie was so hard to watch because it focused almost 100% on Lohan. I felt that hoodwinked by marketing feeling and was extremely close to pulling the plug. However, the second half of the movie had a lot more to do with Huffman and Jane Fonda and ended up being somewhat watchable.
I would lukewarmly recommend people seeing this. It is nowhere near a must see or even a great movie, but it does end up being watchable and you would probably really like it if you a sucker for those family hardship type movies.
Let me start by saying that I absolutely hate Lindsay Lohan. The only "actress" that I can't stand more than her is Paris Hilton. I watched this movie because I happen to really like Felicity Huffman and the movie had one of those family working things out feel that is usually watchable. The first half of this movie was so hard to watch because it focused almost 100% on Lohan. I felt that hoodwinked by marketing feeling and was extremely close to pulling the plug. However, the second half of the movie had a lot more to do with Huffman and Jane Fonda and ended up being somewhat watchable.
I would lukewarmly recommend people seeing this. It is nowhere near a must see or even a great movie, but it does end up being watchable and you would probably really like it if you a sucker for those family hardship type movies.
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