In An American Carol, a cynical, Anti-American filmmaker sets out on a crusade to abolish the 4th of July holiday. He is visited by three ghosts who take him on a hilarious journey in an attempt to show him the true meaning of America.
This is essentially a spoof of Michael Moore movies. It started off pretty funny honestly. I couldn't believe how hard I was initially laughing during this movie. However, all the humor in the movie got old REALLY fast and by twenty minutes in I wasn't even smiling anymore. I mean how long did you think spoofing Michael Moore could really last?
I wouldn't really recommend anyone bothering to rent this bad boy. Go ahead and wait for cable on this one.
American Teen
Hannah Bailey is smart and beautiful, but a misfit in her high school. She is a liberal, atheist living in a traditional, Christian, conservative town and dreams of moving to California after graduation. Colin Clemens is the star of the high school basketball team - and in Indiana, basketball is everything. Colin is under enormous pressure this year playing not only to make his town, his school, and his father proud, but for a college scholarship. Jake Tusing is considered to be a nerd in high school. Though quite funny and charming one-on-one, he is painfully shy in group situations and crushed with self-doubt. In his senior year he vows that nothing will stand in the way of him finding a girlfriend. Megan Krizmanich is the student council Vice President and the youngest daughter of a prominent local surgeon, anxiously awaiting word from Notre Dame University admissions. Wealthy, pretty, smart and popular, she rules her high school - just don't get on her bad side. When Megan’s peers challenge her authority, she can’t help but take action, even if it means risking her future. Mitch Reinholdt is an attractive and charming Varsity basketball jock with a soft side. When he puts his social status on the line, avoiding his popular friends for dates with artsy Hannah Bailey, he strains to maintain his reputation while discovering a new side of himself.
This was a pretty good idea for a documentary. I can only imagine how different being a teenager is in today's world and this documentary sought out to show that to us. It did a really good job for the first half of the movie. You started to identify with these kids lines of thought and pulling for them to accomplish their goals. Unfortunately, the movie started to tailspin and feed in to showing the waaa waaa drama too much and it started to feel more like an episode of 90210 than a documentary. It was pretty disappointing after starting off pretty strong.
I wouldn't really recommend anyone rushing to rent this movie. You can go ahead and wait for cable I think.
Ghost Town
In the comedy Ghost Town, Bertram Pincus (Ricky Gervais) is a man whose people skills leave much to be desired. When Pincus dies unexpectedly, but is miraculously revived after seven minutes, he wakes up to discover that he now has the annoying ability to see ghosts. Even worse, they all want something from him, particularly Frank Herlihy (Greg Kinnear), who pesters him into breaking up the impending marriage of his widow Gwen (Téa Leoni).
I really enjoyed this movie, even though it went in to the blatant heart string pulling realm and was very predictable. Ricky Gervais was so spot on as a miserable loner. His facial expressions of disgust and under his breath zingers were perfectly delivered. He also might be one of the funniest loners trying to hit on a girl ever. His ineptitude to flirt with Tea Leoni was hysterical. Besides the obvious laughs - this movie definitely hit you with something that makes you think about the whole death process with the ghosts "unfinished business". I don't really want to give it away to anyone who might want to see this movie. Its not like a big Sixth Sense type of swerve but it definitely makes you open your eyes and rethink some things about your life outside of the movie.
I fully recommend people checking this movie out. It is good laughs with a bunch of very touching moments and more than worth your time.
I really enjoyed this movie, even though it went in to the blatant heart string pulling realm and was very predictable. Ricky Gervais was so spot on as a miserable loner. His facial expressions of disgust and under his breath zingers were perfectly delivered. He also might be one of the funniest loners trying to hit on a girl ever. His ineptitude to flirt with Tea Leoni was hysterical. Besides the obvious laughs - this movie definitely hit you with something that makes you think about the whole death process with the ghosts "unfinished business". I don't really want to give it away to anyone who might want to see this movie. Its not like a big Sixth Sense type of swerve but it definitely makes you open your eyes and rethink some things about your life outside of the movie.
I fully recommend people checking this movie out. It is good laughs with a bunch of very touching moments and more than worth your time.
Eagle Eye
Eagle Eye is a race-against-time thriller starring Shia LaBeouf, Michelle Monaghan, Rosario Dawson, Anthony Mackie and Billy Bob Thornton. Jerry Shaw (LaBeouf) and Rachel Holloman (Monaghan) are two strangers thrown together by a mysterious phone call from a woman they have never met. Threatening their lives and family, she pushes Jerry and Rachel into a series of increasingly dangerous situations – using the technology of everyday life to track and control their every move. As the situation escalates, these two ordinary people become the country's most wanted fugitives, who must work together to discover what is really happening – and more importantly, why.
Before going to see this movie, you have to be willing to let go of your brain and any sense of reality. As long as you do that - this movie is straight up action and entertainment. If you don't do that - you will be finding it overly silly and ridiculous. I let go of my brain and enjoyed the ride very much. I kind of have a man crush on Shia LaBeouf. I see him ascending to the same level of Tom Hanks and Will Smith in terms of actors that I would watch in anything. He's was just as witty and sarcastic with his dialogue delivery in this as he was in his prior efforts. The action was awesome. Honestly, this could have easily been a summer movie and I'm not sure why the movie studio passed on the additional 50 million this movie would have made with a mid-August release, but its a welcome early fall popcorn movie amongst the usual overflow of serious movies.
I recommend that everyone check this movie out. Its a fun and entertaining roller coaster ride.
Before going to see this movie, you have to be willing to let go of your brain and any sense of reality. As long as you do that - this movie is straight up action and entertainment. If you don't do that - you will be finding it overly silly and ridiculous. I let go of my brain and enjoyed the ride very much. I kind of have a man crush on Shia LaBeouf. I see him ascending to the same level of Tom Hanks and Will Smith in terms of actors that I would watch in anything. He's was just as witty and sarcastic with his dialogue delivery in this as he was in his prior efforts. The action was awesome. Honestly, this could have easily been a summer movie and I'm not sure why the movie studio passed on the additional 50 million this movie would have made with a mid-August release, but its a welcome early fall popcorn movie amongst the usual overflow of serious movies.
I recommend that everyone check this movie out. Its a fun and entertaining roller coaster ride.
The Women
AKA . . . . Sex & The City decaf
Didn't see it.
Won't ever be seeing it.
You are on your own.
Didn't see it.
Won't ever be seeing it.
You are on your own.
Hamlet 2
Steve Coogan portrays Dana Marschz. Dana is a failed actor-turned-high school drama teacher. Shortchanged in the talent department, Dana still harbors ambitions and passions. At work, that is; his personal life, with his dissatisfied wife Brie (Keener) and their boarder Gary (Arquette), leaves much to be desired. At Tucson, AZ's West Mesa High School, Dana sees himself as an inspirational teacher. After much perspiration, he conceives a sequel to Shakespeare's "Hamlet" – a musical-theater extravaganza that will disdain both political correctness and dramatic credibility. Rallying and rousing his class, Dana casts a wider net by recruiting transfer students for key roles. With rehearsals underway, objections from school officials and the community are soon raised, but Dana will not be denied his freedom of artistic expression. Dana gets unexpected support from ACLU attorney Cricket Feldstein (Poehler) and his favorite actress, Elisabeth Shue. Above all else, he fervently believes that his opus must be staged, and nothing can break his optimistic spirit.
This movie came out at the time of year where it is soooooooooooooooo quiet at the movie theater that you start going insane if you don't find something to do. So what I've decided to do is give those movies that not even I would bother seeing in theaters a twenty minute window to capture my attention enough to make me want to bother renting this movie to see the rest of it in a couple of months. This was my initial test and it failed miserably. I was sitting there twenty minutes in to the movie having not the slightest clue why this movie was ever made. So, I threw in the towel and started finding other things to do when I remembered that I was told to specifically watch the musical at the end. So, I went and watched the last 1/2 hour of the movie and to be completely honest - that part was actually pretty funny. It was so over the top that you had no choice but to laugh at it. This also coincided with when Amy Poehler showed up in the movie. She is as funny as she always is and helped the movie end well. Unfortunately, the rest of the movie is pretty much crapola.
I wouldn't really recommend this movie to anyone. The musical finale is really funny, but there's no reason to pay and watch the rest of the movie just to get there. This is totally a wait for cable movie.
This movie came out at the time of year where it is soooooooooooooooo quiet at the movie theater that you start going insane if you don't find something to do. So what I've decided to do is give those movies that not even I would bother seeing in theaters a twenty minute window to capture my attention enough to make me want to bother renting this movie to see the rest of it in a couple of months. This was my initial test and it failed miserably. I was sitting there twenty minutes in to the movie having not the slightest clue why this movie was ever made. So, I threw in the towel and started finding other things to do when I remembered that I was told to specifically watch the musical at the end. So, I went and watched the last 1/2 hour of the movie and to be completely honest - that part was actually pretty funny. It was so over the top that you had no choice but to laugh at it. This also coincided with when Amy Poehler showed up in the movie. She is as funny as she always is and helped the movie end well. Unfortunately, the rest of the movie is pretty much crapola.
I wouldn't really recommend this movie to anyone. The musical finale is really funny, but there's no reason to pay and watch the rest of the movie just to get there. This is totally a wait for cable movie.
Death Race
Three-time speedway champion Jensen Ames (Statham) is an expert at survival in the harsh landscape that has become our country. Just as he thinks he has turned his life around, the ex-con is framed for a gruesome murder he didn't commit. Forced to don the mask of the mythical driver Frankenstein -- a crowd favorite who seems impossible to kill -- Ames is given an easy choice by Terminal Island's warden (Joan Allen): suit up or rot away in a cell. His face hidden by a metallic mask, one convict will be put through an insane three-day challenge. Ames must survive a gauntlet of the most vicious criminals in the country's toughest prison to claim the prize of freedom. Driving a monster car outfitted with machine guns, flamethrowers and grenade launchers, one desperate man will destroy anything in his path to win the most twisted spectator sport on Earth.
If it were physically possible to bottle testosterone, pour it on to movie film and run it through a projector - I'm pretty sure it would turn out looking exactly like this. Seriously. This movie is a textbook, old school 80s action movie. Total badass characters, start to finish action, no story development, pretty much no script, female navigators sprinkled in for no reason whatsoever, and the good guy beating the bad guy as violently as possible. All of that being said - I really liked the movie because I really liked these kinds of movies (think Stallone's and Schwartzenegger's early movies) from back in the day. It is by no means a good movie in terms of quality. I just found myself thoroughly enjoying it. Jason Statham plays pretty much the same character he does in every movie. I have always enjoyed watching Ian McShane talk since Deadwood started on HBO a couple of years back. Can't for the life of me figure out why Joan Allen decided to be in this, but she was entertaining as the bitchy warden. The only real problem I had with the movie was that for all of the tough guys in the race and the prison, Joan Allen's number one prison guard was the dorkiest looking bad guy I've ever seen in a role like that. I found myself getting annoyed every time I saw him.
I would fully recommend this movie to anyone who loves straight up action movies. If you aren't one of those people, I wouldn't touch this bad boy with a ten foot pole.
If it were physically possible to bottle testosterone, pour it on to movie film and run it through a projector - I'm pretty sure it would turn out looking exactly like this. Seriously. This movie is a textbook, old school 80s action movie. Total badass characters, start to finish action, no story development, pretty much no script, female navigators sprinkled in for no reason whatsoever, and the good guy beating the bad guy as violently as possible. All of that being said - I really liked the movie because I really liked these kinds of movies (think Stallone's and Schwartzenegger's early movies) from back in the day. It is by no means a good movie in terms of quality. I just found myself thoroughly enjoying it. Jason Statham plays pretty much the same character he does in every movie. I have always enjoyed watching Ian McShane talk since Deadwood started on HBO a couple of years back. Can't for the life of me figure out why Joan Allen decided to be in this, but she was entertaining as the bitchy warden. The only real problem I had with the movie was that for all of the tough guys in the race and the prison, Joan Allen's number one prison guard was the dorkiest looking bad guy I've ever seen in a role like that. I found myself getting annoyed every time I saw him.
I would fully recommend this movie to anyone who loves straight up action movies. If you aren't one of those people, I wouldn't touch this bad boy with a ten foot pole.
Burn After Reading
A dark spy-comedy starring the likes of George Clooney, Frances McDormand, Brad Pitt, Tilda Swinton and John Malkovich from Academy Award winners Joel and Ethan Coen. An ousted CIA official's memoir accidentally falls into the hands of two unwise gym employees intent on exploiting their find.
I can't remember the last time that I watched a movie getting more and more frustrated at where it was going yet magically walking out of the theater cracking up and loving it. Its really hard to review the absolute joy of this movie without giving the whole thing away. Its a very quirky comedy with great over the top performances (especially by Brad Pitt) and it really just keeps going with no heads up to where it could possibly end up whatsoever. However, when the movie does culminate with two high up government officials having a conversation - it is one of the funniest scenes I've ever seen. They manage to completely mock the viewers as well as our crazy government and is exceptionally written.
This is a hard movie to recommend. I ended up truly enjoying it, but its not simple straight up laughs. It also takes a lot of patience to get to the huge payoff at the end. I would like to recommend it just because I liked it but it really depends on your kind of humor.
I can't remember the last time that I watched a movie getting more and more frustrated at where it was going yet magically walking out of the theater cracking up and loving it. Its really hard to review the absolute joy of this movie without giving the whole thing away. Its a very quirky comedy with great over the top performances (especially by Brad Pitt) and it really just keeps going with no heads up to where it could possibly end up whatsoever. However, when the movie does culminate with two high up government officials having a conversation - it is one of the funniest scenes I've ever seen. They manage to completely mock the viewers as well as our crazy government and is exceptionally written.
This is a hard movie to recommend. I ended up truly enjoying it, but its not simple straight up laughs. It also takes a lot of patience to get to the huge payoff at the end. I would like to recommend it just because I liked it but it really depends on your kind of humor.
Traitor
Don Cheadle and Guy Pearce star in Traitor, a taut international thriller set against a jigsaw puzzle of covert counter-espionage operations.
You can tell by the above summary and the fact that you've probably never seen anything about this movie that it wasn't really marketed too much. That is truly a shame because this was a phenomenal movie. This is one of the better political action thrillers without the word Bourne in the title I've ever seen. Don Cheadle and Guy Pearce were their usual awesome selves. The thing that made this movie so awesome is that it felt so beyond real. It didn't feel like you were watching a movie. That's also the scary part. As you are watching this movie and completely enjoying the suspense of it - there is that part of your brain that is freaking out because all of these things are currently happening all around us. This movie made me even more paranoid than I usually am about getting on any planes, buses or trains.
I fully recommend everyone checking this one out. It was by far and away the best end of summer release and completely worth the trip to a video store.
You can tell by the above summary and the fact that you've probably never seen anything about this movie that it wasn't really marketed too much. That is truly a shame because this was a phenomenal movie. This is one of the better political action thrillers without the word Bourne in the title I've ever seen. Don Cheadle and Guy Pearce were their usual awesome selves. The thing that made this movie so awesome is that it felt so beyond real. It didn't feel like you were watching a movie. That's also the scary part. As you are watching this movie and completely enjoying the suspense of it - there is that part of your brain that is freaking out because all of these things are currently happening all around us. This movie made me even more paranoid than I usually am about getting on any planes, buses or trains.
I fully recommend everyone checking this one out. It was by far and away the best end of summer release and completely worth the trip to a video store.
The House Bunny
Shelley is living a carefree life until a rival gets her tossed out of the Playboy Mansion. With nowhere to go, fate delivers her to the sorority girls from Zeta Alpha Zeta. Unless they can sign a new pledge class, the seven socially clueless women will lose their house to the scheming girls of Phi Iota Mu. In order to accomplish their goal, they need Shelley to teach them the ways of makeup and men; at the same time, Shelley needs some of what the Zetas have – a sense of individuality. The combination leads all the girls to learn how to stop pretending and start being themselves.
This was a textbook end of the summer comedy. The type of movie that they make just to sort of throw out there for the girlies who are tired of all the non stop action at theaters and make a couple million dollars in the process. This movie wasn't necessarily bad, but it wasn't all that good either. The part that really saved it for me was watching Anna Farris interact with the misfit sorority girls. There were a couple of times where I was belly laughing. However, once she had them all transformed - it went back to being nowhere near as funny.
I wouldn't have really recommend people checking this out in theaters because it really would be a waste of time. Its not too bad for a rental though.
This was a textbook end of the summer comedy. The type of movie that they make just to sort of throw out there for the girlies who are tired of all the non stop action at theaters and make a couple million dollars in the process. This movie wasn't necessarily bad, but it wasn't all that good either. The part that really saved it for me was watching Anna Farris interact with the misfit sorority girls. There were a couple of times where I was belly laughing. However, once she had them all transformed - it went back to being nowhere near as funny.
I wouldn't have really recommend people checking this out in theaters because it really would be a waste of time. Its not too bad for a rental though.
Mamma Mia!
An independent, single mother who owns a small hotel on an idyllic Greek island, Donna (Streep) is about to let go of Sophie (Amanda Seyfried), the spirited daughter she's raised alone. For Sophie's wedding, Donna has invited her two lifelong best girlfriends--practical and no-nonsense Rosie (Julie Walters) and wealthy, multi-divorcee Tanya (Christine Baranski)--from her one-time backing band, Donna and the Dynamos. But Sophie has secretly invited three guests of her own. On a quest to find the identity of her father to walk her down the aisle, she brings back three men from Donna's past to the Mediterranean paradise they visited 20 years earlier. Over 24 chaotic, magical hours, new love will bloom and old romances will be rekindled on this lush island full of possibilities. Inspired by the storytelling magic of ABBA's songs from "Dancing Queen" and "S.O.S." to "Money, Money, Money" and "Take a Chance on Me," Mamma Mia! is a celebration of mothers and daughters, old friends and new family found.
This movie was just plain annoying. I have no problem with ABBA's songs or musicals whatsoever. However, this movie just seemed so forced that it was annoying. They would just shoot in to the singing parts randomly and they were absurdly over the top. The whole thing with musicals is that you should be so into the story that you don't even care that the actors are now singing. I found myself rolling my eyes every time that they would burst in to song thinking here we go again. As for the full story being told through the songs of ABBA - again it all felt forced. When Across The Universe did this with the Beattles music, it was completely fluid and the progression of the movie benefitted royally from it. In this movie, the polar opposite happened. It seemed like they were trying to work the script around what song they wanted them to sing. To summarize again with one word . . . . . . annoying.I
really didn't like this movie, but can't really recommend whether or not to see this because I'm sure that this will be one of those 50/50 movies where half the people hate it like I did while the other half think it is the best thing since sliced bread. Hence, view at your own risk but don't say I didn't warn you.
This movie was just plain annoying. I have no problem with ABBA's songs or musicals whatsoever. However, this movie just seemed so forced that it was annoying. They would just shoot in to the singing parts randomly and they were absurdly over the top. The whole thing with musicals is that you should be so into the story that you don't even care that the actors are now singing. I found myself rolling my eyes every time that they would burst in to song thinking here we go again. As for the full story being told through the songs of ABBA - again it all felt forced. When Across The Universe did this with the Beattles music, it was completely fluid and the progression of the movie benefitted royally from it. In this movie, the polar opposite happened. It seemed like they were trying to work the script around what song they wanted them to sing. To summarize again with one word . . . . . . annoying.I
really didn't like this movie, but can't really recommend whether or not to see this because I'm sure that this will be one of those 50/50 movies where half the people hate it like I did while the other half think it is the best thing since sliced bread. Hence, view at your own risk but don't say I didn't warn you.
The Mummy: Tomb Of The Dragon Emperor
Doomed by a double-crossing sorceress (Michelle Yeoh) to spend eternity in suspended animation, China's ruthless Dragon Emperor and his 10,000 warriors have laid forgotten for eons, entombed in clay as a vast, silent terra cotta army. But when dashing adventurer Alex O'Connell is tricked into awakening the ruler from eternal slumber, the reckless young archaeologist must seek the help of the only people who know more than he does about taking down the undead: his parents.As the monarch roars back to life, our heroes find his quest for world domination has only intensified over the millennia. Striding the Far East with unimaginable supernatural powers, the Emperor Mummy will rouse his legion as an unstoppable, otherworldly force...unless the O'Connells can stop him first.
This was honestly the worst acting by an entire cast that I think I have ever seen. Not only that, but there are few things more insulting than when a movie franchise thinks that they can continue a character by just plopping another actress in there. Maria Bello trying to fill Rachel Weisz's shoes seemed so over the top and forced that she actually made Brandon Fraser seem like a great actor. I was a big fan of the first Mummy movie and even though the second one was incredibly silly - it was an entertaining movie. This third venture was atrocious. Not even the CGI special effects could save this movie.
I wouldn't recommend anyone checking out this movie out. Its total garbage and a complete waste of time.
This was honestly the worst acting by an entire cast that I think I have ever seen. Not only that, but there are few things more insulting than when a movie franchise thinks that they can continue a character by just plopping another actress in there. Maria Bello trying to fill Rachel Weisz's shoes seemed so over the top and forced that she actually made Brandon Fraser seem like a great actor. I was a big fan of the first Mummy movie and even though the second one was incredibly silly - it was an entertaining movie. This third venture was atrocious. Not even the CGI special effects could save this movie.
I wouldn't recommend anyone checking out this movie out. Its total garbage and a complete waste of time.
Horton Hears A Who
Horton Hears A Who is a film based on the beloved book by Dr. Seuss. It is about an imaginative elephant who hears a cry for help coming from a tiny speck of dust floating through the air. Suspecting there may be life on that speck and despite a surrounding community which thinks he has lost his mind, Horton is determined to help.
I enjoyed this movie a lot. That's not to say that it is in or near the ballpark of animated greats like Shrek, Finding Nemo or Aladdin. The thing that seperates those movies with this one is that the characters voices are perfectly cast for their animated counterparts. I was totally psyched about Jim Carrey and Steve Carrell voicing animated characters, but to be completely honest they didn't really bring much to the parts. Their two characters could have been voiced by anyone. That being said - this is definitely one of those animated movies where the adults aren't suffering while the kids enjoy it. There were plenty of laugh out loud moments and a lot of them were moments that were put there for us because the kids weren't laughing nearly as hard. Its a great family film with a couple of really strong messages about friendship and respect along with the laughs.
I'd recommend everyone checking this out. Its definitely worth your time. Anyone with children should go out of their way to check this bad boy out.
I enjoyed this movie a lot. That's not to say that it is in or near the ballpark of animated greats like Shrek, Finding Nemo or Aladdin. The thing that seperates those movies with this one is that the characters voices are perfectly cast for their animated counterparts. I was totally psyched about Jim Carrey and Steve Carrell voicing animated characters, but to be completely honest they didn't really bring much to the parts. Their two characters could have been voiced by anyone. That being said - this is definitely one of those animated movies where the adults aren't suffering while the kids enjoy it. There were plenty of laugh out loud moments and a lot of them were moments that were put there for us because the kids weren't laughing nearly as hard. Its a great family film with a couple of really strong messages about friendship and respect along with the laughs.
I'd recommend everyone checking this out. Its definitely worth your time. Anyone with children should go out of their way to check this bad boy out.
The Dark Knight
The Dark Knight reunites director Christopher Nolan with star Christian Bale, who returns to continue Batman's war on crime. With the help of Lieutenant Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) and District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), Batman sets out to destroy organized crime in Gotham for good. The triumvirate proves to be effective, but they soon find themselves prey to a rising criminal mastermind known as the Joker (Heath Ledger), who thrusts Gotham into anarchy and forces the Dark Knight ever closer to crossing the fine line between hero and vigilante.
Wow! Seriously. Wow! This movie pretty much surpassed the original Batman movie as my favorite comic book movie of all time. Never did I think anyone would be able to top Jack Nicholson as a comic book villain, but Heath Ledger made him actually seem tame. His performance as The Joker was the best bad guy performance since Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter in Silence Of The Lambs. I can't remember the last time that I so thoroughly enjoyed a performance like this. The rest of the cast was also phenomenal (even though Aaron Eckhart started out a little too over the top and then settled in excellently). Chris Nolan's development of multi-tiered levels of suspense over and over again throughout the movie was amazing and even though the movie was long at 2 and 1/2 hours - I would have gladly kept watching. This will probably be the hands down best movie of the year and is a must see by all.
I recommend that everyone see this amazingly done movie. Be warned that it really isn't for kids though. Its very violent and has a really in depth dealing with the mob storyline that will be way over most of their heads.
Wow! Seriously. Wow! This movie pretty much surpassed the original Batman movie as my favorite comic book movie of all time. Never did I think anyone would be able to top Jack Nicholson as a comic book villain, but Heath Ledger made him actually seem tame. His performance as The Joker was the best bad guy performance since Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter in Silence Of The Lambs. I can't remember the last time that I so thoroughly enjoyed a performance like this. The rest of the cast was also phenomenal (even though Aaron Eckhart started out a little too over the top and then settled in excellently). Chris Nolan's development of multi-tiered levels of suspense over and over again throughout the movie was amazing and even though the movie was long at 2 and 1/2 hours - I would have gladly kept watching. This will probably be the hands down best movie of the year and is a must see by all.
I recommend that everyone see this amazingly done movie. Be warned that it really isn't for kids though. Its very violent and has a really in depth dealing with the mob storyline that will be way over most of their heads.
First Sunday
In this comedy, Durell (Ice Cube) and LeeJohn (Tracy Morgan) are best friends and bumbling petty criminals. When told they have one week to pay a $17,000 debt or Durell will lose his son, they come up with a desperate scheme to rob their neighborhood church. Instead, they end up spending the night in the presence of the Lord and are forced to deal with much more than they bargained for.
This movie was just plain dumb. Even though Tracy Morgan and Katt Williams were funny at first, even their acts grew tired and this movie bored the hell out of me. Honestly, I stopped really paying attention as the movie went on and I might have fallen asleep out of boredom for a while there too.
I really wouldn't bother recommending this movie to anyone. Its pretty much poop . . . . . even when I watched it on cable.
This movie was just plain dumb. Even though Tracy Morgan and Katt Williams were funny at first, even their acts grew tired and this movie bored the hell out of me. Honestly, I stopped really paying attention as the movie went on and I might have fallen asleep out of boredom for a while there too.
I really wouldn't bother recommending this movie to anyone. Its pretty much poop . . . . . even when I watched it on cable.
The Longshots
The Longshots is a funny and heartwarming story of the the first and only girl quarterback in Pop Warner football history. Curtis Plummer (Ice Cube) - a down-on-his-luck former high school football star - turns his niece, Jasmine (Keke Palmer), into the quarterback of the local team, the Minden Browns, and gets his stride back when he becomes the team coach. With Curtis as their new leader and their pigtail-wearing star player, this team of misfits wins its way to the the Pop Warner Super Bowl and the small city of Minden, Illinois, is ignited with team spirit, town pride and the glory it once knew.
This is your typical underdog sports movie. You know full well how its going to turn out and all of the hurdles that will be taken to get there. It really makes no difference that it was a girl doing it all. Its the same song and dance. I still somehow end up enjoying these movies no matter what. Its a pretty good message movie for kids . . . . . especially young girls.
I'd recommend people checking this out via rental. Its not a must-see by any means and could wait for cable, but if your interests were piqued by the ads for it - go ahead and rent it.
This is your typical underdog sports movie. You know full well how its going to turn out and all of the hurdles that will be taken to get there. It really makes no difference that it was a girl doing it all. Its the same song and dance. I still somehow end up enjoying these movies no matter what. Its a pretty good message movie for kids . . . . . especially young girls.
I'd recommend people checking this out via rental. Its not a must-see by any means and could wait for cable, but if your interests were piqued by the ads for it - go ahead and rent it.
The X-Files: I Want To Believe
The X-Files: I Want to Believe is a stand-alone story in the tradition of some of the show's most acclaimed and beloved episodes, and takes the complicated relationship between Fox Mulder (Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Anderson) in unexpected directions. Mulder continues his unshakable quest for the truth, and Scully, the passionate, ferociously intelligent physician, remains inextricably tied to Mulder's pursuits.
This movie should have been called The X-Files: I Just Want You To Waste Your Money. This was horrible. It would have even been a really lame two part episode back when the show was on. There wasn't even anything alien related!?! The movie was about Russian organ harvesters. It was like I was watching an episode of Criminal Minds but it was labeled X-Files and they threw Mulder and Scully in there. Why in the blue hell they would randomly make this movie with no sort of a big payoff whatsoever years later is completely beyond me. I could see the die hard fanboys getting violent and attacking the screen after seeing this because of how downright insulting it was.
I wouldn't recommend this movie to anyone. Ever. Not fans of the show. Not even people who enjoy those FBI type movies because you'll still be annoyed with the whiny, repeated banter between Mulder and Scully.
This movie should have been called The X-Files: I Just Want You To Waste Your Money. This was horrible. It would have even been a really lame two part episode back when the show was on. There wasn't even anything alien related!?! The movie was about Russian organ harvesters. It was like I was watching an episode of Criminal Minds but it was labeled X-Files and they threw Mulder and Scully in there. Why in the blue hell they would randomly make this movie with no sort of a big payoff whatsoever years later is completely beyond me. I could see the die hard fanboys getting violent and attacking the screen after seeing this because of how downright insulting it was.
I wouldn't recommend this movie to anyone. Ever. Not fans of the show. Not even people who enjoy those FBI type movies because you'll still be annoyed with the whiny, repeated banter between Mulder and Scully.
Fly Me To The Moon 3D
The year is 1969 and like everyone else in the world, Nat (Trevor Gagnon) and his pals IQ (Philip Daniel Bolden) and Scooter (David Gore) are abuzz over the upcoming launch of the first manned mission to the moon. Inspired by his Grandpa's (Christopher Lloyd) oft-told tale of hiding aboard Amelia Earhart's plane during her famed solo cross-Atlantic flight, Nat hatches a secret plan for the three young flies to stow away on the Apollo 11 rocket.Thinking the trip will be over in a matter of minutes, the fly boys—and their earthbound families—are shocked to learn they will be in space for closer to a week. When a N.A.S.A. Ground Control official catches sight of the three winged stowaways, he instructs the astronauts to store them in a test tube for later study. But after an electrical short causes the ship’s engine to malfunction, the three intrepid insects manage to escape from their glass mini-brig just in time to discover the wiring problem and fix it.After a difficult lunar landing, Nat tags along with Neil Armstrong on his legendary moon walk. Although the flies face a few more close calls, the mission appears to be a success. At least until Grandpa’s old flame Nadia (Nicolette Sheridan) arrives from Russia to warn him that her government, angry over losing the space race, has dispatched fly-spy Yegor (Tim Curry) to Cape Canaveral to sabotage the computer flight plans. With the Apollo hurtling toward Earth, it falls to Nat’s family to save the mission—and the trio of brave flies—from disaster.
This movie was decent. It was definitely more for younger kids though. The story seemed like a kid friendly NASA tour movie. It could have easily been 1/2 hour long. What really saved the movie for me was the animation. It was awesome. The 3d effects were pretty cool as well. I wasn't sure what to think since this movie was barely advertised and didn't really get released wide. I couldn't figure out why they would do that for a movie with the whole 3d thing going on. I figured it was going to outright suck. But it was watchable.
I would lukewarmly recommend people seeing this . . . . . especially those with younger kids. However, I'm pretty sure it will be out of theaters within the next week or so and I'm usually not a big fan of 3d movies on dvd.
This movie was decent. It was definitely more for younger kids though. The story seemed like a kid friendly NASA tour movie. It could have easily been 1/2 hour long. What really saved the movie for me was the animation. It was awesome. The 3d effects were pretty cool as well. I wasn't sure what to think since this movie was barely advertised and didn't really get released wide. I couldn't figure out why they would do that for a movie with the whole 3d thing going on. I figured it was going to outright suck. But it was watchable.
I would lukewarmly recommend people seeing this . . . . . especially those with younger kids. However, I'm pretty sure it will be out of theaters within the next week or so and I'm usually not a big fan of 3d movies on dvd.
The Chronicles Of Narnia: Prince Caspian
The characters of C.S. Lewis' timeless fantasy come to life once again in this newest installment of the Chronicles of Narnia series, in which the Pevensie siblings are magically transported back from England to the world of Narnia, where a thrilling, perilous new adventure and an even greater test of their faith and courage awaits them. One year after the incredible events of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, the Kings and Queens of Narnia find themselves back in that faraway wondrous realm, only to discover that more than 1300 years have passed in Narnian time. During their absence, the Golden Age of Narnia has become extinct, Narnia has been conquered by the Telmarines and is now under the control of the evil King Miraz, who rules the land without mercy. The four children will soon meet an intriguing new character: Narnia's rightful heir to the throne, the young Prince Caspian, who has been forced into hiding as his uncle Miraz plots to kill him in order to place his own newborn son on the throne.
Let me start by saying that this movie was great. The story was very well done and the action scenes were amazingly choreographed. The final battle scene was honestly one of the all time bests. The only things that kept me from over the top loving this movie was that it was a good 1/2 hour too long and its marketed totally towards children and couldn't have been less of a kids movie if they tried. This didn't have the cuteness of the first one or really push the sibling care that was in the first one. This one was much more aggresive and pretty violent.
I would recommend that everyone check this out because it is a very well done fantasy epic type movie. However, it is nowhere near the family friendly movie that the first one was so be warned.
Let me start by saying that this movie was great. The story was very well done and the action scenes were amazingly choreographed. The final battle scene was honestly one of the all time bests. The only things that kept me from over the top loving this movie was that it was a good 1/2 hour too long and its marketed totally towards children and couldn't have been less of a kids movie if they tried. This didn't have the cuteness of the first one or really push the sibling care that was in the first one. This one was much more aggresive and pretty violent.
I would recommend that everyone check this out because it is a very well done fantasy epic type movie. However, it is nowhere near the family friendly movie that the first one was so be warned.
Wanted
25-year-old Wes (James McAvoy) was the most disaffected, cube-dwelling drone the planet had ever known. His boss chewed him out hourly, his girlfriend ignored him routinely and his life plodded on interminably. Everyone was certain this disengaged slacker would amount to nothing. There was little else for Wes to do but wile away the days and die in his slow, clock-punching rut. Until he met a woman named Fox (Angelina Jolie). After his estranged father is murdered, the deadly sexy Fox recruits Wes into the Fraternity, a secret society that trains Wes to avenge his dad's death by unlocking his dormant powers. As she teaches him how to develop lightning-quick reflexes and phenomenal agility, Wes discovers this team lives by an ancient, unbreakable code: carry out the death orders given by fate itself. With wickedly brilliant tutors--including the Fraternity's enigmatic leader, Sloan (Morgan Freeman)--Wes grows to enjoy all the strength he ever wanted. But, slowly, he begins to realize there is more to his dangerous associates than meets the eye. And as he wavers between newfound heroism and vengeance, Wes will come to learn what no one could ever teach him: he alone controls his destiny.
This movie was pure adrenaline. When I first saw the preview, I was scared that the movie would be another one of those kick ass action movies that looks awesome and then degenerates in to a pointless pile of dung a la Crank or Shoot Em Up. I was so glad to be dead wrong. This movie was straight up action from the start and had an equally great story line. Are parts of absolutely absurd and far fetched? Of course they are. However, its filmed in such a way that you are able to let go of that silliness and fully immerse in the roller coaster ride anyway. Although they are blatantly using Angelina Jolie to market this movie, the thing that really made this movie was the performance of James McAvoy. His transformation from anxiety ridden cubicle worker to nerves of steel assassin is the true backbone of this movie. The only knock that I would make against this movie is that the buzz and comparisons to The Matrix is a little too much. As awesome as the action is, some of the scenes not in slow motion are a little bit too choppy . . . . . especially the car chases. The car chases in The Matrix Reloaded and The Bourne Ultimatum were edited much better and if they wouldn't have put a little more of that in to this movie, I would stamp it a must see.
I very strongly recommend this movie for anyone looking for a kick ass adrenaline ride. It is definitely worth the trip to the video store.
This movie was pure adrenaline. When I first saw the preview, I was scared that the movie would be another one of those kick ass action movies that looks awesome and then degenerates in to a pointless pile of dung a la Crank or Shoot Em Up. I was so glad to be dead wrong. This movie was straight up action from the start and had an equally great story line. Are parts of absolutely absurd and far fetched? Of course they are. However, its filmed in such a way that you are able to let go of that silliness and fully immerse in the roller coaster ride anyway. Although they are blatantly using Angelina Jolie to market this movie, the thing that really made this movie was the performance of James McAvoy. His transformation from anxiety ridden cubicle worker to nerves of steel assassin is the true backbone of this movie. The only knock that I would make against this movie is that the buzz and comparisons to The Matrix is a little too much. As awesome as the action is, some of the scenes not in slow motion are a little bit too choppy . . . . . especially the car chases. The car chases in The Matrix Reloaded and The Bourne Ultimatum were edited much better and if they wouldn't have put a little more of that in to this movie, I would stamp it a must see.
I very strongly recommend this movie for anyone looking for a kick ass adrenaline ride. It is definitely worth the trip to the video store.
Step Brothers
Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly star in Step Brothers. Ferrell plays Brennan Huff, a sporadically employed thirty-nine-year-old who lives with his mother, Nancy (Mary Steenburgen). Reilly plays Dale Doback, a terminally unemployed forty-year-old who lives with his father, Robert (Richard Jenkins). When Robert and Nancy marry and move in together, Brennan and Dale are forced to live with each other as step brothers. As their narcissism and downright aggressive laziness threaten to tear the family apart, these two middle-aged, immature, overgrown boys will orchestrate an insane, elaborate plan to bring their parents back together. To pull it off, they must form an unlikely bond that maybe, just maybe, will finally get them out of the house.
Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly have to be considered one of the funniest on screen duos ever. They play so well off of each other and I would give anything to see blooper reels of these two cracking mid scene. The two of them playing big kids who still live at home was so picture perfect. The way that they would go back and forth between hating each other and then being best friends just like typical 10 year olds was hysterical. The only knock I'll make against this movie is that some of the funniest lines were delivered after huge laughs and you end up missing most of them. Even when the movie seems to go down that unavoidable dramatic downward spiral - they still manage to rebound and make you laugh your ass off.
I fully recommend everyone checking this out. Its not for kids at all though. There are some really awkward moments and at the risk of spoiling it for people - you need to be warned that you see Will Ferrel's testicles. Seriously. You've been warned.
Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly have to be considered one of the funniest on screen duos ever. They play so well off of each other and I would give anything to see blooper reels of these two cracking mid scene. The two of them playing big kids who still live at home was so picture perfect. The way that they would go back and forth between hating each other and then being best friends just like typical 10 year olds was hysterical. The only knock I'll make against this movie is that some of the funniest lines were delivered after huge laughs and you end up missing most of them. Even when the movie seems to go down that unavoidable dramatic downward spiral - they still manage to rebound and make you laugh your ass off.
I fully recommend everyone checking this out. Its not for kids at all though. There are some really awkward moments and at the risk of spoiling it for people - you need to be warned that you see Will Ferrel's testicles. Seriously. You've been warned.
Fred Claus
Fred Claus (Vince Vaughn) has lived almost his entire life in his little brother's very large shadow. Fred tried, but he could never live up to the example set by the younger Nicholas (Paul Giamatti), who was just a perfect... well... Saint. True to form, Nicholas grew up to be the model of giving, while Fred became the polar opposite: a repo man who then steals what he repossesses. Now Fred's dirty dealings have landed him in jail. Over Mrs. Claus's objections, Nicholas agrees to bail his big brother out on one condition: that he come to the North Pole and work off his debt making toys. The trouble is that Fred isn't exactly elf material and, with Christmas fast approaching, this one bad seed could jeopardize the jolliest holiday of the year. Has Fred finally pushed his little brother to the brink? This time, what Fred may have stolen is Christmas itself, and it is going to take more than Rudolph to set things right.
This movie is to Vince Vaughn what Elf was to Will Ferrel. It is literally a holiday movie that is built around his personality. It enables him to be his talkative, sarcastic self in a holiday movie. I happen to think that Vince Vaughn is absolutely hysterical and I wasn't disappointed at all with this movie. The interaction with his mother and brother (Santa Claus) is awesome and there is a scene where he is in siblings anonymous with a bunch of brothers to famous people that was classic. Along with the overall funniness of the movie, there is also the gratuitous feel good holiday vibe going. The only problem I have with this is that I can't for the life of me figure out why Hollywood insists on releasing these movies so early in November. Its a shame that this movie will be long gone by the time Christmas comes around. I wish they would have waited until early December or something so that you could actually take in the holiday vibe more.
I recommend this movie to everyone. Its got some big laughs, makes you feel good, and plants the seed for you to get excited about the holidays.
This movie is to Vince Vaughn what Elf was to Will Ferrel. It is literally a holiday movie that is built around his personality. It enables him to be his talkative, sarcastic self in a holiday movie. I happen to think that Vince Vaughn is absolutely hysterical and I wasn't disappointed at all with this movie. The interaction with his mother and brother (Santa Claus) is awesome and there is a scene where he is in siblings anonymous with a bunch of brothers to famous people that was classic. Along with the overall funniness of the movie, there is also the gratuitous feel good holiday vibe going. The only problem I have with this is that I can't for the life of me figure out why Hollywood insists on releasing these movies so early in November. Its a shame that this movie will be long gone by the time Christmas comes around. I wish they would have waited until early December or something so that you could actually take in the holiday vibe more.
I recommend this movie to everyone. Its got some big laughs, makes you feel good, and plants the seed for you to get excited about the holidays.
Meet Dave
Dave Ming Chang (Eddie Murphy), newly arrived in New York City, may be the ultimate fish out of water. There's something about him that's not quite right – for starters, he seems remarkably out of place and uncomfortable in his own body. And for good reason. Dave is not a man at all, but a ship made in the image of its miniature-sized captain.
Although I found myself laughing a lot at some of the earlier scenes in this movie - this is definitely one of the dumbest movies ever made. We're talking Howard The Duck, Leonard Part 6 and The Adventures Of Pluto Nash type dumb, people! I can't even begin to understand how this movie was ever made in the first place. Did Eddie Murphy really look at the script and say "So I'll be the captain of a space ship that will also be me and I get to poop out money at one point too? Where do I sign?" Seriously? Its just ludicrous to think of the millions of dollars spent on something this ridiculous. Again - I definitely laughed at a bunch of scenes in this movie, but I laughed at scenes in the aforementioned historically dumb movies too. That doesn't mean that the movies are not eternally enshrined as Hollywood's biggest jokes.
I wouldn't recommend anyone ever seeing this. Actually, that's wrong. I do recommend that everyone see this at some point. I wouldn't go running to the theater to waste my time and money, but this is one of those movies that is so bad - everyone should check it out just to get that jaw on the floor at how dumb this movie is feeling.
Although I found myself laughing a lot at some of the earlier scenes in this movie - this is definitely one of the dumbest movies ever made. We're talking Howard The Duck, Leonard Part 6 and The Adventures Of Pluto Nash type dumb, people! I can't even begin to understand how this movie was ever made in the first place. Did Eddie Murphy really look at the script and say "So I'll be the captain of a space ship that will also be me and I get to poop out money at one point too? Where do I sign?" Seriously? Its just ludicrous to think of the millions of dollars spent on something this ridiculous. Again - I definitely laughed at a bunch of scenes in this movie, but I laughed at scenes in the aforementioned historically dumb movies too. That doesn't mean that the movies are not eternally enshrined as Hollywood's biggest jokes.
I wouldn't recommend anyone ever seeing this. Actually, that's wrong. I do recommend that everyone see this at some point. I wouldn't go running to the theater to waste my time and money, but this is one of those movies that is so bad - everyone should check it out just to get that jaw on the floor at how dumb this movie is feeling.
Space Chimps
Space Chimps is an intergalactic comedy that highlights the antics of astronaut chimps with the "wrong stuff." Ham III (Samberg), the slacker grandson of the first chimp blasted into space before manned spaceflight, joins two other astronaut chimps for a dangerous mission through a black hole to an inhabited planet. When they're stranded there, the chimps must help the inhabitants rid themselves of a tyrannical leader, and then figure out how to get back to Earth.
This was a watchable kids movie. The parts with the monkeys were actually really funny. Unfortunately, every time that they switched over to what was going on with the aliens, I felt like I was watching a Saturday morning kids cartoon. Basically - thats all this movie was. There was no reason for it to be made for the big screen. It wasn't bad by any means - it just was not an animated movie worthy of this kind of marketing.
I wouldn't have recommended anyone rush to check this out in theaters. Watching it at home will probably make it much more digestible.
This was a watchable kids movie. The parts with the monkeys were actually really funny. Unfortunately, every time that they switched over to what was going on with the aliens, I felt like I was watching a Saturday morning kids cartoon. Basically - thats all this movie was. There was no reason for it to be made for the big screen. It wasn't bad by any means - it just was not an animated movie worthy of this kind of marketing.
I wouldn't have recommended anyone rush to check this out in theaters. Watching it at home will probably make it much more digestible.
Hancock
There are heroes... there are superheroes... and then there's Hancock (Will Smith). With great power comes great responsibility – everyone knows that – everyone, that is, but Hancock. Edgy, conflicted, sarcastic, and misunderstood, Hancock's well-intentioned heroics might get the job done and save countless lives, but always seem to leave jaw-dropping damage in their wake. The public has finally had enough – as grateful as they are to have their local hero, the good citizens of Los Angeles are wondering what they ever did to deserve this guy. Hancock isn't the kind of man who cares what other people think – until the day that he saves the life of PR executive Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman), and the sardonic superhero begins to realize that he may have a vulnerable side after all. Facing that will be Hancock's greatest challenge yet – and a task that may prove impossible as Ray's wife, Mary (Charlize Theron), insists that he's a lost cause.
I didn't really have high expectations for this movie. I figured that it would be a visually entertaining summer popcorn movie with Will Smith who I haven't ever found to be disappointing. Turns out that is exactly what I got. This wasn't a great movie by any means. It was simple entertainment. The movie simply started with the preview I guess being the prerequisite storyline information. I found that kind of weird, but was totally able to accept it because I was getting quite a kick out of Will Smith playing a prick. Watching him curse and be confrontational towards people had me cracking up. Then, there was a major plot twist in the middle of the movie that I thought was going to send it in to a massive downward spiral, but they were even able to rebound pretty well from that by giving you the actual background of Hancock that I was hungry for at the beginning of the movie. I could totally see how someone would hate this movie if they had sky high expectations for it though.
I would recommend people checking this movie out. Just keep your hopes in check so you won't up getting disappointed.
I didn't really have high expectations for this movie. I figured that it would be a visually entertaining summer popcorn movie with Will Smith who I haven't ever found to be disappointing. Turns out that is exactly what I got. This wasn't a great movie by any means. It was simple entertainment. The movie simply started with the preview I guess being the prerequisite storyline information. I found that kind of weird, but was totally able to accept it because I was getting quite a kick out of Will Smith playing a prick. Watching him curse and be confrontational towards people had me cracking up. Then, there was a major plot twist in the middle of the movie that I thought was going to send it in to a massive downward spiral, but they were even able to rebound pretty well from that by giving you the actual background of Hancock that I was hungry for at the beginning of the movie. I could totally see how someone would hate this movie if they had sky high expectations for it though.
I would recommend people checking this movie out. Just keep your hopes in check so you won't up getting disappointed.
The Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants 2
I haven't seen it.
WW doesn't want to see it. Stinka doesn't either. God bless their sweet little hearts.
You are on your own with this one.
WW doesn't want to see it. Stinka doesn't either. God bless their sweet little hearts.
You are on your own with this one.
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
After an ancient truce existing between humankind and the invisible realm of the fantastic is broken, hell on Earth is ready to erupt. A ruthless leader who treads the world above and the one below defies his bloodline and awakens an unstoppable army of creatures. Now, it's up to the planet's toughest, roughest superhero to battle the merciless dictator and his marauders. He may be red. He may be horned. He may be misunderstood. But when you need the job done right, it's time to call in Hellboy (Ron Perlman). Along with his expanding team in the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Development--pyrokinetic girlfriend Liz (Selma Blair), aquatic empath Abe (Doug Jones) and protoplasmic mystic Johann--the BPRD will travel between the surface strata and the unseen magical one, where creatures of fantasy become corporeal. And Hellboy, a creature of two worlds who's accepted by neither, must choose between the life he knows and an unknown destiny that beckons him.
Holy disappointment, Hellboy! I was a huge fan of the first movie. I remember seeing the trailer and thinking that it looked stupid but I ended up really enjoying the movie. The trailer for this one made it look awesome and I was actually pretty excited to see it. Unfortunately, I was totally let down. They changed the whole way that the story was portrayed. In the first one - it was this top secret thing and most of the humor came from Hellboy's complaining or sarcasm. This one was for lack of a better word schlocky. I get that its a comic book adaptation but at least the first one took the story seriously. I almost felt like they were making a joke out of all these different monsters. The score had a doofy tone to it throughout the movie and that definitely didn't help at all. Abe, the fish guy, was this brilliant freak in the first movie but was reduced to being more of a goofy nerd in this one. I really don't understand why they would do all these things since the first one was really good and the villain in this one was even better than in the first one. This will probably end up being the biggest disappointment of the year for me.
I wouldn't recommend anyone checking this one out. Even though the trailer looked awesome, the director's lack of taking the material seriously totally ruins the awesome visuals that you've come to expect from Guillermo Del Toro.
Holy disappointment, Hellboy! I was a huge fan of the first movie. I remember seeing the trailer and thinking that it looked stupid but I ended up really enjoying the movie. The trailer for this one made it look awesome and I was actually pretty excited to see it. Unfortunately, I was totally let down. They changed the whole way that the story was portrayed. In the first one - it was this top secret thing and most of the humor came from Hellboy's complaining or sarcasm. This one was for lack of a better word schlocky. I get that its a comic book adaptation but at least the first one took the story seriously. I almost felt like they were making a joke out of all these different monsters. The score had a doofy tone to it throughout the movie and that definitely didn't help at all. Abe, the fish guy, was this brilliant freak in the first movie but was reduced to being more of a goofy nerd in this one. I really don't understand why they would do all these things since the first one was really good and the villain in this one was even better than in the first one. This will probably end up being the biggest disappointment of the year for me.
I wouldn't recommend anyone checking this one out. Even though the trailer looked awesome, the director's lack of taking the material seriously totally ruins the awesome visuals that you've come to expect from Guillermo Del Toro.
Tropic Thunder
Ben Stiller, Jack Black and Robert Downey Jr. lead an ensemble cast in Tropic Thunder, an action comedy about a group of self-absorbed actors who set out to make the most expensive war film. After ballooning costs force the studio to cancel the movie, the frustrated director refuses to stop shooting, leading his cast into the jungles of Southeast Asia, where they encounter real bad guys.
I can't believe how funny this movie was. I was beyond shocked. I thought at best it would be somewhat funny, but I was laughing out loud for most of this movie. Robert Downey Jr. was beyond awesome and I can't stress enough how happy I am to see him back in the mainstream. I haven't seen an actor return from the dead like he has this summer since John Travolta with Pulp Fiction. Jack Black played really well off of everyone else and Ben Stiller was a lot funnier than he usually is. The absolute best part of this movie was Tom Cruise. Yes that's right. Tom Cruise. He is in this movie and plays an obnoxious, bald, hairy, film producer. It is possibly the best career movie I've ever witnessed in my entire life. He was by far and away the best and funniest part of this movie. This movie might have the best credit sequence I've ever seen.
I fully recommend that everyone check this one out. In terms of comedies, I give this the must see stamp.
I can't believe how funny this movie was. I was beyond shocked. I thought at best it would be somewhat funny, but I was laughing out loud for most of this movie. Robert Downey Jr. was beyond awesome and I can't stress enough how happy I am to see him back in the mainstream. I haven't seen an actor return from the dead like he has this summer since John Travolta with Pulp Fiction. Jack Black played really well off of everyone else and Ben Stiller was a lot funnier than he usually is. The absolute best part of this movie was Tom Cruise. Yes that's right. Tom Cruise. He is in this movie and plays an obnoxious, bald, hairy, film producer. It is possibly the best career movie I've ever witnessed in my entire life. He was by far and away the best and funniest part of this movie. This movie might have the best credit sequence I've ever seen.
I fully recommend that everyone check this one out. In terms of comedies, I give this the must see stamp.
WALL-E
After hundreds of lonely years of doing what he was built for, WALL•E discovers a new purpose in life (besides collecting knick-knacks) when he meets a sleek search robot named EVE. EVE comes to realize that WALL•E has inadvertently stumbled upon the key to the planet's future, and races back to space to report her findings to the humans who have been eagerly awaiting word that it is safe to return home. Meanwhile, WALL•E chases EVE across the galaxy and sets into motion one of the most exciting and imaginative comedy adventures ever brought to the big screen. Joining WALL•E on his fantastic journey across a universe of never-before-imagined visions of the future, is a hilarious cast of characters including a pet cockroach, and a heroic team of malfunctioning misfit robots.
Lets state it for the record that Pixar really doesn't do anything bad. They have truly brought animated movies to a level of such greatness that I never imagined possible. Wall-E is no exception to this. In fact, Wall-E might be one of the greatest love stories ever told. Even though its an animated movie about robots in space - this was a truly great love story. The animation is probably the best I've ever seen. How real everything looked and the pinpoint precise movements of Wall-E on his wheel tracks was very impressive. The way that the script mocked society for getting lazier and lazier and just eating up whatever stuff is told to us was hysterical . . . . even though its so sadly true. The more I think about the fact that this movie was so well done with there being pretty much no talking outside of the words Wall-E, Eve and directive for the first hour only makes it that much more amazing.
This movie is an absolute must see by all. Its a truly amazing movie even though its animated and is probably a lock to show up on the best movies of the year list.
Lets state it for the record that Pixar really doesn't do anything bad. They have truly brought animated movies to a level of such greatness that I never imagined possible. Wall-E is no exception to this. In fact, Wall-E might be one of the greatest love stories ever told. Even though its an animated movie about robots in space - this was a truly great love story. The animation is probably the best I've ever seen. How real everything looked and the pinpoint precise movements of Wall-E on his wheel tracks was very impressive. The way that the script mocked society for getting lazier and lazier and just eating up whatever stuff is told to us was hysterical . . . . even though its so sadly true. The more I think about the fact that this movie was so well done with there being pretty much no talking outside of the words Wall-E, Eve and directive for the first hour only makes it that much more amazing.
This movie is an absolute must see by all. Its a truly amazing movie even though its animated and is probably a lock to show up on the best movies of the year list.
This Christmas
This year, Christmas with the Whitfields promises to be one they will never forget. All the siblings have come home for the first time in years and they've brought plenty of baggage with them. As the Christmas tree is trimmed and the lights are hung, secrets are revealed and family bonds are tested. As their lives converge, they join together and help each other discover the true meaning of family.
This is your textbook familly holiday drama/comedy. A big family gets together. They all have different sets of issues or problems. They issues/problems magically all get solved within the Christmas holiday because Christmas is so miraculous. As blah as I sound about this movie, I actually enjoyed it. Surprisingly so. I watched the whole thing from beginning to end and actually got excited for the characters at certain parts.
I'd recommend people checking this movie out for the holidays. Its cheesy and very predictable but still makes for an enjoyable holiday watch.
This is your textbook familly holiday drama/comedy. A big family gets together. They all have different sets of issues or problems. They issues/problems magically all get solved within the Christmas holiday because Christmas is so miraculous. As blah as I sound about this movie, I actually enjoyed it. Surprisingly so. I watched the whole thing from beginning to end and actually got excited for the characters at certain parts.
I'd recommend people checking this movie out for the holidays. Its cheesy and very predictable but still makes for an enjoyable holiday watch.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
As the Clone Wars sweep through the galaxy, the heroic Jedi Knights struggle to maintain order and restore peace. More and more systems are falling prey to the forces of the dark side as the Galactic Republic slips further and further under the sway of the Separatists and their never-ending droid army. Anakin Skywalker and his Padawan learner Ahsoka Tano find themselves on a mission with far-reaching consequences, one that brings them face-to-face with crime lord Jabba the Hutt. But Count Dooku and his sinister agents, including the nefarious Asajj Ventress, will stop at nothing to ensure that Anakin and Ahsoka fail at their quest. Meanwhile, on the front lines of the Clone Wars, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Master Yoda lead the massive clone army in a valiant effort to resist the forces of the dark side.
Star Wars has been like a religion to me for most of my life. Star Wars, Empire Strikes Back and Return Of The Jedi have always been and will always be my three favortie movies of all time. To this day - I will still stop whatever I'm doing if I happen to catch any of them as I'm flipping through the channels. I couldn't wait to see the three prequels and believe it or not I left each one of them absolutely loving them . . . . . . warts and all. It wasn't until it came to repeated viewings of the prequels that I realized how poopish they really were. Regardless, I wasn't willing to write off the genius that was George Lucas. I know that his legacy was dented but I was still proud to call myself a die hard fan. Then I saw this gigantic turd. Star Wars: The Clone Wars is obviously a kids movie with it being animated and what not. Essentially its a saturday morning cartoon. The first problem is that its basically a saturday morning cartoon . . . . . . . for girls. The new character that they introduce, Anakin's female padawan, is basically the central character of the movie and is so beyond annoying that those who hated Jar Jar might end up putting him on par with Darth Maul in terms of coolness compared to her. The second problem is that their mission is to protect Jabba's "huttling" that they keep referring to as Stinky. I'm not joking. It was absurd. The third and biggest problem was the introduction of Jabba's uncle Zero - who is portrayed as flamboyantly gay. Again - not kidding. I just sort of sat there with my mouth wide open and the what the hell look on my face. This movie was totally horrible and George Lucas should honestly be ashamed of himself for associating the unequivocable greatness that is the original Star Wars trilogy with this crapola.
I woulnd't recommend anyone seeing this. Little kids will absolutely love it but it is just downright painful for those of us who grew up with the REAL Star Wars to sit through.
Star Wars has been like a religion to me for most of my life. Star Wars, Empire Strikes Back and Return Of The Jedi have always been and will always be my three favortie movies of all time. To this day - I will still stop whatever I'm doing if I happen to catch any of them as I'm flipping through the channels. I couldn't wait to see the three prequels and believe it or not I left each one of them absolutely loving them . . . . . . warts and all. It wasn't until it came to repeated viewings of the prequels that I realized how poopish they really were. Regardless, I wasn't willing to write off the genius that was George Lucas. I know that his legacy was dented but I was still proud to call myself a die hard fan. Then I saw this gigantic turd. Star Wars: The Clone Wars is obviously a kids movie with it being animated and what not. Essentially its a saturday morning cartoon. The first problem is that its basically a saturday morning cartoon . . . . . . . for girls. The new character that they introduce, Anakin's female padawan, is basically the central character of the movie and is so beyond annoying that those who hated Jar Jar might end up putting him on par with Darth Maul in terms of coolness compared to her. The second problem is that their mission is to protect Jabba's "huttling" that they keep referring to as Stinky. I'm not joking. It was absurd. The third and biggest problem was the introduction of Jabba's uncle Zero - who is portrayed as flamboyantly gay. Again - not kidding. I just sort of sat there with my mouth wide open and the what the hell look on my face. This movie was totally horrible and George Lucas should honestly be ashamed of himself for associating the unequivocable greatness that is the original Star Wars trilogy with this crapola.
I woulnd't recommend anyone seeing this. Little kids will absolutely love it but it is just downright painful for those of us who grew up with the REAL Star Wars to sit through.
Kung Fu Panda
Po (Jack Black) is the biggest fan of kung fu around... which doesn't exactly come in handy while working every day in his family's noodle shop. Unexpectedly chosen to fulfill an ancient prophecy, Po's dreams become reality when he joins the world of kung fu and studies alongside his idols, the legendary Furious Five—Tigress, Crane, Mantis, Viper and Monkey—under the leadership of their guru, Master Shifu. But before they know it, the vengeful and treacherous snow leopard Tai Lung is headed their way, and it's up to Po to defend everyone from the oncoming threat. Can he turn his dreams of becoming a kung fu master into reality? Po puts his heart — and his girth —into the task, and the unlikely hero ultimately finds that his greatest weaknesses turn out to be his greatest strengths.
I loved this movie. I don't know if its because of the fact that Po's girth played in to him being a hero and I one day hope that my girth can one day accomplish the same thing or if it was just Jack Black being the perfect voice casting for the character. I just did. The animation was awesome - especially the kung fu scenes. The voices of Dustin Hoffman as Master Shifu and Ian McShane (aka Swaringen from Deadwood) were great as the guru and villian. This is definitely one of those animated movies that the adults can enjoy just as much, if not more than, the kids.
I strongly recommend everyone checking this bad boy out. Its totally worth the trip and price of rental. This one should actually be owned.
I loved this movie. I don't know if its because of the fact that Po's girth played in to him being a hero and I one day hope that my girth can one day accomplish the same thing or if it was just Jack Black being the perfect voice casting for the character. I just did. The animation was awesome - especially the kung fu scenes. The voices of Dustin Hoffman as Master Shifu and Ian McShane (aka Swaringen from Deadwood) were great as the guru and villian. This is definitely one of those animated movies that the adults can enjoy just as much, if not more than, the kids.
I strongly recommend everyone checking this bad boy out. Its totally worth the trip and price of rental. This one should actually be owned.
Transibberian
An American couple, Roy (Woody Harrelson) and Jessie (Emily Mortimer), decide to take the long way home from their recent sojourn in Asia on the legendary Trans-siberian Express train from Beijing to Moscow. On their way, they meet another couple from the West, Carlos (Eduardo Noriega) and Abby (Kate Mara), with whom they quickly form a familiar bond that often unites fellow travellers away from home. When Roy accidentally gets separated from the group at a stopover, Jessie begins to realize that their compatriots aren't exactly who or what they seem to be. The real danger begins to surface as a deceitful Russian detective (Sir Ben Kingsley) and locals terrorize Jessie in this unforgettable journey.
The beginning of this movie was paced about as fast as watching a snail move. It was downright painful especially since you pretty much knew exactly where it was going to go. It was supposed to be a suspenseful movie but had absolutely none for the first hour of the movie. Once you get past the first hour, the movie is a decent watch but I was definitely too annoyed by the boredom to really get in to it.
I wouldn't really recommend this movie to anyone. There's simply no reason to pay for this movie. Just wait for it to hit cable.
The beginning of this movie was paced about as fast as watching a snail move. It was downright painful especially since you pretty much knew exactly where it was going to go. It was supposed to be a suspenseful movie but had absolutely none for the first hour of the movie. Once you get past the first hour, the movie is a decent watch but I was definitely too annoyed by the boredom to really get in to it.
I wouldn't really recommend this movie to anyone. There's simply no reason to pay for this movie. Just wait for it to hit cable.
Get Smart
Maxwell Smart (Steve Carell) is on a mission to thwart the latest plot for world domination by the evil crime syndicate known as KAOS. When the headquarters of U.S. spy agency Control is attacked and the identities of its agents compromised, the Chief (Alan Arkin) has no choice but to promote his ever-eager analyst Maxwell Smart, who has always dreamt of working in the field alongside stalwart superstar Agent 23 (Dwayne Johnson). Smart is partnered instead with the lovely-but-lethal veteran Agent 99 (Anne Hathaway). Given little field experience and even less time, Smart--armed with nothing but a few spy-tech gadgets and his unbridled enthusiasm--must thwart the doomsday plans of KAOS head Siegfried (Terence Stamp).
This was one of those textbook summer movies. Great laughs. Great action. Simple enjoyment. Steve Carell was perfectly cast as Maxwell Smart. I am a huge fan of The Office (if you are not watching this show - you really need to start!) and he really can't do any wrong in my eyes. Anne Hathaway, Dwayne Johnson and Alan Arkin were all excellent complimentary parts to his lead. If handled right, Warner Bros could totally turn this in to a workable franchise. I found myself really looking forward to this movie as the summer approached and it didn't remotely disappoint me.
I would recommend everyone checking this movie out. It wouldn't qualify as a must see but it is pure, simple enjoyment at the local video store.
This was one of those textbook summer movies. Great laughs. Great action. Simple enjoyment. Steve Carell was perfectly cast as Maxwell Smart. I am a huge fan of The Office (if you are not watching this show - you really need to start!) and he really can't do any wrong in my eyes. Anne Hathaway, Dwayne Johnson and Alan Arkin were all excellent complimentary parts to his lead. If handled right, Warner Bros could totally turn this in to a workable franchise. I found myself really looking forward to this movie as the summer approached and it didn't remotely disappoint me.
I would recommend everyone checking this movie out. It wouldn't qualify as a must see but it is pure, simple enjoyment at the local video store.
The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything - A Veggie Tales Movie
Working at The Pirate Times Dinner Theater is less than exciting when you're a busboy. For three moping misfits-- Elliot, Sedgewick and George (Larry the Cucumber, Mr. Lunt and Pa Grape)-all they dream of is the day when they can ditch their dishrags and take stage to star in the big pirate show. But with Elliot's timidity, Sedgewick's laziness and George's lack of self-confidence, it seems as if the day to prove who they really are will never come. Things are about to change when a mysterious ball drops from the sky and lands at the unlikely seafarers' feet. A "Helpseeker" sent from the past in search of heroes, the artifact sets in motion a series of events that drags the friends back to the 17th century--and into the belly of certain danger. The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything must each face their fears--becoming unlikely heroes in a battle to rescue a royal family from an evil tyrant, and themselves from living the life of common couch potatoes.
I rented this movie pretty much because the stepdaughter and I thought the Rock Monster portion of the trailer was hilarious. I never thought that I would actually end up enjoying this movie. Its seems even more absurd in writing but now its out there. This movie was actually pretty funny. There were a lot of great one liners and I found myself cracking up every time they would lift things . . . . . since they had no limbs on their vegetable bodies. Its not a good movie by any means but did surprisingly have some pretty decent laughs.
Even though I somehow ended up enjoying this movie - I really wouldn't recommend it to anyone not renting it for their kids. The kids will enjoy it.
I rented this movie pretty much because the stepdaughter and I thought the Rock Monster portion of the trailer was hilarious. I never thought that I would actually end up enjoying this movie. Its seems even more absurd in writing but now its out there. This movie was actually pretty funny. There were a lot of great one liners and I found myself cracking up every time they would lift things . . . . . since they had no limbs on their vegetable bodies. Its not a good movie by any means but did surprisingly have some pretty decent laughs.
Even though I somehow ended up enjoying this movie - I really wouldn't recommend it to anyone not renting it for their kids. The kids will enjoy it.
Kit Kittredge: An American Girl
Kit Kittredge: An American Girl tells the story of a clever and resourceful nine-year-old girl (Abigail Breslin) growing up in 1934 during America's Great Depression.
This might honestly be the most wholesome movie ever made. Abigail Breslin is always a joy to watch. I hope that she grows up to be as good of an adult actor as she is a child actor. The only real problem with this movie is that its a kids movie that way too dull for kids. I can't think of a single child who would really enjoy sitting through this or be able to understand the Great Depression life style whatsoever.
I wouldn't really recommend anyone watching this. Its not a bad movie. It just doesn't come close to hitting its target audience at all.
This might honestly be the most wholesome movie ever made. Abigail Breslin is always a joy to watch. I hope that she grows up to be as good of an adult actor as she is a child actor. The only real problem with this movie is that its a kids movie that way too dull for kids. I can't think of a single child who would really enjoy sitting through this or be able to understand the Great Depression life style whatsoever.
I wouldn't really recommend anyone watching this. Its not a bad movie. It just doesn't come close to hitting its target audience at all.
Journey To The Center Of The Earth
During a scientific expedition in Iceland, visionary scientist Trevor Anderson (Brendan Fraser), his nephew Sean (Josh Hutcherson) and their beautiful local guide, Hannah (Anita Briem), are unexpectedly trapped in a cave from which their only escape is to go deeper and deeper into the depths of the Earth. Traveling through never-before-seen worlds, the trio comes face-to-face with surreal and unimaginable creatures--including man-eating plants, giant flying piranha, glow birds and terrifying dinosaurs from days past. The explorers soon realize that as volcanic activity increases around them, they must find a way back to the earth's surface before it is too late.
This movie was beyond campy. At no point did you not completely know what was going to happen. Brendan Fraser did his usual overacting. However, the movie was still quite enjoyable. It was an old school adventure ride. The 3D effects definitely helped a lot. There were lots of moments where the effects were like the ones you would see at a Disney World or Universal Studios 3D ride. I think this movie could still be enjoyable without the effects though. There are some really jump out of your seat parts because of the 3D but ultimately, this is a great family film.
I'd recommend everyone checking this out. I have always been a big fan of 3D movies and this movie is one of the great examples of why. I'm not sure if they are going to put this out on DVD in 3D. If not, its still watchable but definitely not as good.
This movie was beyond campy. At no point did you not completely know what was going to happen. Brendan Fraser did his usual overacting. However, the movie was still quite enjoyable. It was an old school adventure ride. The 3D effects definitely helped a lot. There were lots of moments where the effects were like the ones you would see at a Disney World or Universal Studios 3D ride. I think this movie could still be enjoyable without the effects though. There are some really jump out of your seat parts because of the 3D but ultimately, this is a great family film.
I'd recommend everyone checking this out. I have always been a big fan of 3D movies and this movie is one of the great examples of why. I'm not sure if they are going to put this out on DVD in 3D. If not, its still watchable but definitely not as good.
The Strangers
The Strangers is a terrifying suspense thriller about a couple whose remote getaway becomes a place of terror when masked strangers invade. The confrontation forces Kristen and James to go far beyond what they thought themselves capable of if they hope to survive.
I find that I've been so desensitized by horror movies that they rarely are able to get to me. I find myself knowing everything thats going to happen and not really caring by the time the movie starts its climax, but WW loves horror movies so I go regardless since she goes and sees all kind of pieces of dung with me. This horror movie is one of the ones that freaked me out. I haven't been this creeped out and jumping in my seat from a movie since The Grudge. Who would have thought that having records playing in the back ground could be so freaky. I pray to god that I never see any of the masks the people were wearing or I might just pee my pants right there. I really think that the thing that got me with this movie was how they filmed key suspense parts in first person view. I felt like I was in the closet when the girl suddenly was there, you know? There were a couple of scenes like this that made me jump.
I'd strongly recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys scary movies. This is one of the best ones to come out in a long, long time.
I find that I've been so desensitized by horror movies that they rarely are able to get to me. I find myself knowing everything thats going to happen and not really caring by the time the movie starts its climax, but WW loves horror movies so I go regardless since she goes and sees all kind of pieces of dung with me. This horror movie is one of the ones that freaked me out. I haven't been this creeped out and jumping in my seat from a movie since The Grudge. Who would have thought that having records playing in the back ground could be so freaky. I pray to god that I never see any of the masks the people were wearing or I might just pee my pants right there. I really think that the thing that got me with this movie was how they filmed key suspense parts in first person view. I felt like I was in the closet when the girl suddenly was there, you know? There were a couple of scenes like this that made me jump.
I'd strongly recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys scary movies. This is one of the best ones to come out in a long, long time.
The Incredible Hulk
The Incredible Hulk is one of the most popular superheroes of all time. In this new beginning, scientist Bruce Banner (Edward Norton) desperately hunts for a cure to the gamma radiation that poisoned his cells and unleashes the unbridled force of rage within him: The Hulk. Living in the shadows--cut off from a life he knew and the woman he loves, Betty Ross (Liv Tyler)--Banner struggles to avoid the obsessive pursuit of his nemesis, General Thunderbolt Ross (William Hurt), and the military machinery that seeks to capture him and brutally exploit his power. As all three grapple with the secrets that led to The Hulk's creation, they are confronted with a monstrous new adversary known as The Abomination (Tim Roth), whose destructive strength exceeds even The Hulk's own.
This movie was everything that the other Hulk movie was supposed to be. Few movies have ever inspired more anger in me than the other Hulk. The Hulk was always one of my favorite comic book characters. I loved the show, I read the comic, and I still wore Hulk tshirts as a grown man. I was that guy. The original Hulk crushed me. I still can't believe that his big fight scene was against a rabid french f'n poodle. When I heard that they were making this - I wouldn't allow myself to get excited. I thought that it was way too soon after the giant turd that broke my heart came out. I heard that Ed Norton was going to play Bruce Banner and I still wouldn't let myself get excited. I saw the preview where Tim Roth looked like the ultimate bad ass soldier and I still wouldn't let myself get too excited. Just during the opening credits of this movie - I could tell that this was going to be exciting. This was going to be exactly what I wanted to see. The opening credits had shout outs to Nick Fury and Tony Stark and they showed you in a non-drawn out way how he had become the Hulk. It was just like the tv show used to be and the movie opened with Bruce Banner hiding out in Brazil. I felt like a ten year old kid all over again. It was awesome. I didn't even care that I didn't see the Hulk for almost the first hour or so. The cameos of Lou Ferigno and Stan Lee were awesome. The casting was top notch. Edward Norton, William Hurt and especially Tim Roth all put forth great performances. The action scenes had my jaw hanging open. As if all of that wasn't enough, there was the one final scene kind of like that one at the end of Iron Man that leaves you dying to see The Avengers. The way that they are marketing this thing three years in advance is off the charts amazing. Marvel as a production company might be the best thing that has ever happened to kick ass summer blockbusters since Spielberg in his prime.
I recommend everyone go and check this bad boy out. It is an absolute must see. Thank you so much, Marvel for making this movie and fixing the massive mistake from a couple of years ago.
This movie was everything that the other Hulk movie was supposed to be. Few movies have ever inspired more anger in me than the other Hulk. The Hulk was always one of my favorite comic book characters. I loved the show, I read the comic, and I still wore Hulk tshirts as a grown man. I was that guy. The original Hulk crushed me. I still can't believe that his big fight scene was against a rabid french f'n poodle. When I heard that they were making this - I wouldn't allow myself to get excited. I thought that it was way too soon after the giant turd that broke my heart came out. I heard that Ed Norton was going to play Bruce Banner and I still wouldn't let myself get excited. I saw the preview where Tim Roth looked like the ultimate bad ass soldier and I still wouldn't let myself get too excited. Just during the opening credits of this movie - I could tell that this was going to be exciting. This was going to be exactly what I wanted to see. The opening credits had shout outs to Nick Fury and Tony Stark and they showed you in a non-drawn out way how he had become the Hulk. It was just like the tv show used to be and the movie opened with Bruce Banner hiding out in Brazil. I felt like a ten year old kid all over again. It was awesome. I didn't even care that I didn't see the Hulk for almost the first hour or so. The cameos of Lou Ferigno and Stan Lee were awesome. The casting was top notch. Edward Norton, William Hurt and especially Tim Roth all put forth great performances. The action scenes had my jaw hanging open. As if all of that wasn't enough, there was the one final scene kind of like that one at the end of Iron Man that leaves you dying to see The Avengers. The way that they are marketing this thing three years in advance is off the charts amazing. Marvel as a production company might be the best thing that has ever happened to kick ass summer blockbusters since Spielberg in his prime.
I recommend everyone go and check this bad boy out. It is an absolute must see. Thank you so much, Marvel for making this movie and fixing the massive mistake from a couple of years ago.
Chapter 27
On December 8, 1980 Mark David Chapman shocked the world by murdering the beloved purveyor of peace, 40-year old musician and activist, John Lennon, outside The Dakota, his New York apartment building. Chapman's motives were fabricated from pure delusion, fueled by an obsession with the fictional character Holden Caulfield and his similar misadventures in J.D. Salinger's "Catcher in the Rye." In one instant, an anonymous, mentally unstable 25-year old, socially awkward Beatles fan who had fluctuated between idealizing Lennon and being overcome with a desire to kill him – altered the course of history.
This is one of those movies that deserves attention and respect just because of what the actor did to himself for this movie. Jared Leto could not have done anything more to fully invest in portraying the character of Mark David Chapman. Its one of those crazy performances because its not like watching an actor. He's so fully invested that it looks like you are actually watching Mark David Chapman. Even though the rest of the movie falls a little bit short in terms of overall substance, Jared Leto's performance makes this movie worth watching by itself.
I'd recommend people check this movie out. Its not a mainstream movie by any means but an interesting watch because of the phenomenal acting performance.
This is one of those movies that deserves attention and respect just because of what the actor did to himself for this movie. Jared Leto could not have done anything more to fully invest in portraying the character of Mark David Chapman. Its one of those crazy performances because its not like watching an actor. He's so fully invested that it looks like you are actually watching Mark David Chapman. Even though the rest of the movie falls a little bit short in terms of overall substance, Jared Leto's performance makes this movie worth watching by itself.
I'd recommend people check this movie out. Its not a mainstream movie by any means but an interesting watch because of the phenomenal acting performance.
Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull
Famed archaeologist/adventurer Dr. Henry "Indiana" Jones is called back into action when he becomes entangled in a Soviet plot to uncover the secret behind a mysterious artifact known as the Crystal Skull.
Let's just get out of the way that I could totally understand die hard Indy fans being beyond disappointed with this movie. I, however, enjoyed it. I was only able to do this though by seeing it as a free standing movie with a known character instead of a continuation of the original trilogy. By doing this, I was able to watch an enjoyable summer type movie. It was definitely the worst of the four Indiana Jones movies though. It reminds me a lot of the Star Wars prequels where I enjoyed watching them the first time even with the obvious flaws, but will never be watching them over and over again like the original trilogy. The real problem with this movie is that Spielberg and Lucas simply tried to hard. They wanted to fit in as much up to date effects instead of the surprisingly simple boobie trap ones from the first three movies and it made a lot of the major scenes way over the top. They also started out the movie waaaaaaay too talkie talkie. The movie didn't really start to feel like and Indiana Jones film until Harrison Ford and Karen Allen were reunited. Once they were back together though the funny lines and banter returned. It was from that point on that I was able to simply watch the movie and not get all wrapped up in how disappointing it was when based against the Indy predecessors. I could see how that would totally ruin the movie for anyone.
I really don't think it matters whether or not I recommend this movie to anyone. You're going to go and see this regardless? Come on now, people. Just be sure to keep your expectations low for it and you'll probably like it.
Let's just get out of the way that I could totally understand die hard Indy fans being beyond disappointed with this movie. I, however, enjoyed it. I was only able to do this though by seeing it as a free standing movie with a known character instead of a continuation of the original trilogy. By doing this, I was able to watch an enjoyable summer type movie. It was definitely the worst of the four Indiana Jones movies though. It reminds me a lot of the Star Wars prequels where I enjoyed watching them the first time even with the obvious flaws, but will never be watching them over and over again like the original trilogy. The real problem with this movie is that Spielberg and Lucas simply tried to hard. They wanted to fit in as much up to date effects instead of the surprisingly simple boobie trap ones from the first three movies and it made a lot of the major scenes way over the top. They also started out the movie waaaaaaay too talkie talkie. The movie didn't really start to feel like and Indiana Jones film until Harrison Ford and Karen Allen were reunited. Once they were back together though the funny lines and banter returned. It was from that point on that I was able to simply watch the movie and not get all wrapped up in how disappointing it was when based against the Indy predecessors. I could see how that would totally ruin the movie for anyone.
I really don't think it matters whether or not I recommend this movie to anyone. You're going to go and see this regardless? Come on now, people. Just be sure to keep your expectations low for it and you'll probably like it.
The Visitor
In a world of six billion people, it only takes one to change your life. Richard Jenkins (Six Feet Under) stars as Walter Vale, a disillusioned Connecticut economics professor whose life is transformed by a chance encounter in New York City. Through new found connections with virtual strangers, Walter is awakened to a new world and a new life.
This was a textbook character drama. The director did a great job of making the viewers see the world through the eyes of Walter Vale. He's bored with his life. His wife has passed away. He goes to his unused apartment in NYC to find out that two illegal immigrants have been duped in to renting it from a "friend" of theirs. He decides to let them stay and becomes friends with the couple. The story just kind of spirals from there. As much as I was able to watch the movie, there was one nagging thing that I just couldn't get past and limited my level of enjoyment. I just see there being no way that some older guy going to his apartment and finding people there would let them leave so peacefully and then invite them back to stay no matter how disillusioned he may be with his life. Come on now. You come home to find some lady in your bathtub and her boyfriend almost kicking your ass and then feel bad for them? Thats just silly. If you are able to move past that though - this is a pretty good character drama.
I would kind of recommend this movie to people. Its not a must see by any means but is a pretty decent watch.
This was a textbook character drama. The director did a great job of making the viewers see the world through the eyes of Walter Vale. He's bored with his life. His wife has passed away. He goes to his unused apartment in NYC to find out that two illegal immigrants have been duped in to renting it from a "friend" of theirs. He decides to let them stay and becomes friends with the couple. The story just kind of spirals from there. As much as I was able to watch the movie, there was one nagging thing that I just couldn't get past and limited my level of enjoyment. I just see there being no way that some older guy going to his apartment and finding people there would let them leave so peacefully and then invite them back to stay no matter how disillusioned he may be with his life. Come on now. You come home to find some lady in your bathtub and her boyfriend almost kicking your ass and then feel bad for them? Thats just silly. If you are able to move past that though - this is a pretty good character drama.
I would kind of recommend this movie to people. Its not a must see by any means but is a pretty decent watch.
You Don't Mess With The Zohan
In You Don't Mess With the Zohan, Adam Sandler stars as Zohan, an Israeli commando who fakes his own death in order to pursue his dream: becoming a hairstylist in New York.
This is one of the unfunniest movies I've ever seen. Honestly, I didn't go in to it expecting much. I kind of figured that any of the really funny moments were probably seen in the preview a couple hundred times before actually seeing it. But its Adam Sandler and even when he's lame - I usually still find myself laughing. Not this time. I actually kept count. I laughed once during the first hour of the movie. Once. The Zohan might have made a funny character on SNL where the skits are about ten minutes long, but this was just plain brutal. I couldn't even finish watching the movie and left after and hour and fifteen minutes. The only reason I even made it as long as I did is because it was like 110 degrees outside, my truck had no air conditioning, and I couldn't bare the thought of driving home in traffic sweating my a$$ off. That's how bad this piece of dung was. I needed a massive heat wave to entertain the thought of staying for the first 3/4 of the movie and I chose to face the environmental elements instead of seeing the ending.
I wouldn't recommend this movie to anyone. Ever!
This is one of the unfunniest movies I've ever seen. Honestly, I didn't go in to it expecting much. I kind of figured that any of the really funny moments were probably seen in the preview a couple hundred times before actually seeing it. But its Adam Sandler and even when he's lame - I usually still find myself laughing. Not this time. I actually kept count. I laughed once during the first hour of the movie. Once. The Zohan might have made a funny character on SNL where the skits are about ten minutes long, but this was just plain brutal. I couldn't even finish watching the movie and left after and hour and fifteen minutes. The only reason I even made it as long as I did is because it was like 110 degrees outside, my truck had no air conditioning, and I couldn't bare the thought of driving home in traffic sweating my a$$ off. That's how bad this piece of dung was. I needed a massive heat wave to entertain the thought of staying for the first 3/4 of the movie and I chose to face the environmental elements instead of seeing the ending.
I wouldn't recommend this movie to anyone. Ever!
The Happening
It begins with no clear warning. It seems to come out of nowhere. In a matter of minutes, episodes of strange, chilling deaths that defy reason and boggle the mind in their shocking destructiveness, erupt in major American cities. What is causing this sudden, total breakdown of human behavior? Is it some kind of new terrorist attack, an experiment gone wrong, a diabolical toxic weapon, an out-of-control virus? How is it being transmitted? For Philadelphia high school science teacher Elliot Moore (Wahlberg) what matters most is finding a way to escape the mysterious and deadly phenomenon. Though he and his wife Alma (Deschanel) are in the midst of a marital crisis, they hit the road, first by train, then by car, with Elliot's math teacher friend Julian (Leguizamo) and his 8 year-old daughter Jess ( Sanchez), heading for the Pennsylvania farmlands where they hope they'll be out of reach of the grisly, ever-growing attacks. Yet it soon becomes clear that no one - and nowhere - is safe.
I lost count of how many times during The Happening I turned to WW and asked "Is this really happening?" This movie was horrible. It had a good premise, especially with terrorism paranoia being so high and the scenes where the people were going to kill themselves had a great level of suspense but outside of that everything was so beyond bad. Seriously. I couldn't believe how truly bad it was. Who the hell thought that casting Mark Wahlberg as a science teacher was legit? The acting and script were atrocious across the board. I could not have possibly cared less about the marital issues between Wahlberg and Deschannel. There was actually commentary in the script regarding hot dogs getting a bum rap. I was ready to walk out of the theater after that, but WW wanted to see how it ended . . . . . and at the risk of giving it away it pretty much didn't end. The credits just sort of came on. To put just how bad this movie really was in perspective, I'm one of the people that actually likes M. Night Shyalalalalalalalablabla's other movies. The Sixth Sense was awesome. Unbreakable was watchable (the second time since it was so misadvertised for me the first time). I liked Signs even though the ending was really lame. I loved The Village. I even was able to enjoy Lady In The Water for what it was.
This thing was a giant turd though. I wouldn't recommend anyone seeing this movie . . . . . . ever! Its a lock for the worst movies of 2008 at the end of the year.
I lost count of how many times during The Happening I turned to WW and asked "Is this really happening?" This movie was horrible. It had a good premise, especially with terrorism paranoia being so high and the scenes where the people were going to kill themselves had a great level of suspense but outside of that everything was so beyond bad. Seriously. I couldn't believe how truly bad it was. Who the hell thought that casting Mark Wahlberg as a science teacher was legit? The acting and script were atrocious across the board. I could not have possibly cared less about the marital issues between Wahlberg and Deschannel. There was actually commentary in the script regarding hot dogs getting a bum rap. I was ready to walk out of the theater after that, but WW wanted to see how it ended . . . . . and at the risk of giving it away it pretty much didn't end. The credits just sort of came on. To put just how bad this movie really was in perspective, I'm one of the people that actually likes M. Night Shyalalalalalalalablabla's other movies. The Sixth Sense was awesome. Unbreakable was watchable (the second time since it was so misadvertised for me the first time). I liked Signs even though the ending was really lame. I loved The Village. I even was able to enjoy Lady In The Water for what it was.
This thing was a giant turd though. I wouldn't recommend anyone seeing this movie . . . . . . ever! Its a lock for the worst movies of 2008 at the end of the year.
The Foot Fist Way
Self-control, courtesy, perseverance, integrity and an indomitable spirit – those are the basic tenets preached by the proud but stern Master instructor Simmons at the Concord Tae Kwon Do Studio. There "the way of the foot and the fist," a.k.a. the definition of the featured Korean martial art, turns boys into black belts and suburbanites into great warriors. That is, until Simmons' seemingly perfect life starts collapsing when he discovers his wife having an affair on him. Twice. A chance to resurrect his life by battling his hero - the 8-time undefeated champ and star of the "Seven Rings of Pain" trilogy, Chuck "The Truck" Wallace - gives Simmons' life purpose as he winds up on a wild, comic journey that will take him from egomaniacal bluster all the way to becoming the stand-up man of his delusional dreams.
This movie felt a hell of a lot like an adult version of the teenage Napolean Dynamite. I happen to find Danny McBride very funny in the supporting roles he has played. This movie was based completely around him and his ability to come across as securely nerdy. There were definitely some decent laughs sprinkled throughout this movie, but not enough to fully keep my attention throughout. It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't great either. Its kind of firmly entrenched right there in the middle. Honestly, I felt the same way when I first saw Napolean Dynamite and there are few movies that I have ever watched more than that one. I could see this movie getting funnier and funnier based on repeated viewing.
I'm not really sure whether to recommend this movie or not. If you liked Napolean Dynamite - I would definitely rent it. It has a lot of the same awkward deliveries from the actors and audience reactions to them as that movie did.
This movie felt a hell of a lot like an adult version of the teenage Napolean Dynamite. I happen to find Danny McBride very funny in the supporting roles he has played. This movie was based completely around him and his ability to come across as securely nerdy. There were definitely some decent laughs sprinkled throughout this movie, but not enough to fully keep my attention throughout. It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't great either. Its kind of firmly entrenched right there in the middle. Honestly, I felt the same way when I first saw Napolean Dynamite and there are few movies that I have ever watched more than that one. I could see this movie getting funnier and funnier based on repeated viewing.
I'm not really sure whether to recommend this movie or not. If you liked Napolean Dynamite - I would definitely rent it. It has a lot of the same awkward deliveries from the actors and audience reactions to them as that movie did.
Bigger, Stronger, Faster*
At its heart, this is the story of director Christopher Bell and his two brothers, who grew up idolizing muscular giants like Hulk Hogan, Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger, and who went on to become members of the steroid-subculture in an effort to realize their American dream. When you discover that your heroes have all broken the rules, do you follow the rules, or do you follow your heroes?
This documentary started off awesomely. It did a great job of showing what was going on with the three Bell brothers parallel to what was going on in society with the aforementioned "heroes" from back in the day. It was also really strange to me to remember Mike Bell from when I used to watch wrestling. He was one of those guys that would come out and wrestle one of the superstars and get totally squashed. Unfortunately, as it went on the documentary became more about the home life of the three brothers and they didn't really do a good job of getting the audience to emotionally connect with the family itself and they kind of lost the great steam that they had built up.
I'd still recommend people checking this out. Its definitely eye opening to say the least.
Iron Man
Based upon Marvel's comic, Iron Man tells the story of Tony Stark, a billionaire industrialist and genius inventor who is kidnapped and forced to build a devastating weapon. Instead, using his intelligence and ingenuity, Tony builds a high-tech suit of armor and escapes captivity. Upon his return to America, Tony must come to terms with his past. When he uncovers a nefarious plot with global implications, he dons his powerful armor and vows to protect the world as Iron Man.
I was pretty skeptical when I heard they were going to do a movie based on Iron Man. Even when I saw the trailers, I was still thinking that this one would be one of the hokey comic book adaptions like the Fantastic Four and Daredevil. Thankfully, I was way off the mark. This movie was awesome. The action was great. The story was excellently crafted. The acting was great across the board. Jeff Bridges was a good villain. Gwenneth Paltrow wasn't nearly as annoying as I usually find her. As for Robert Downey Jr., him being cast as Tony Stark/Iron Man might be one of the best casting choices ever. His delivery of sarcasm and not caring in the first half of the movie was perfect and his evolution into caring and wanting to repair all the damage that he had unknowingly done with weapons building was very believable. I didn't think that Iron Man was mainstream enough of a comic book to pull it all off but I was dead wrong and this movie is on the same shelf as the first two Spider Man and original Batmans for me.
I couldn't possibly recommend this movie more if I tried. It was a truly well done movie and beyond entertaining. Go see it . . . . . . and if you are a big comic book fan - stick around until the end of the credits for something truly mind blowing.
I was pretty skeptical when I heard they were going to do a movie based on Iron Man. Even when I saw the trailers, I was still thinking that this one would be one of the hokey comic book adaptions like the Fantastic Four and Daredevil. Thankfully, I was way off the mark. This movie was awesome. The action was great. The story was excellently crafted. The acting was great across the board. Jeff Bridges was a good villain. Gwenneth Paltrow wasn't nearly as annoying as I usually find her. As for Robert Downey Jr., him being cast as Tony Stark/Iron Man might be one of the best casting choices ever. His delivery of sarcasm and not caring in the first half of the movie was perfect and his evolution into caring and wanting to repair all the damage that he had unknowingly done with weapons building was very believable. I didn't think that Iron Man was mainstream enough of a comic book to pull it all off but I was dead wrong and this movie is on the same shelf as the first two Spider Man and original Batmans for me.
I couldn't possibly recommend this movie more if I tried. It was a truly well done movie and beyond entertaining. Go see it . . . . . . and if you are a big comic book fan - stick around until the end of the credits for something truly mind blowing.
Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Struggling musician Peter Bretter (Jason Segel) has spent six years idolizing his girlfriend, television star Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell). But his world is rocked when she dumps him and Peter finds himself alone. After an unsuccessful bout of womanizing and an on-the-job nervous breakdown, he sees that not having Sarah may just ruin his life. To clear his head, Peter takes an impulsive trip to Oahu, where he is confronted by his worst nightmare: his ex and her tragically hip new British-rocker boyfriend, Aldous (Russell Brand), are sharing his hotel. But as he torments himself with the reality of Sarah's new life, he finds relief in a flirtation with Rachel (Mila Kunis), a resort employee whose laid-back approach tempts him to rejoin the world.
I'm somewhat on the fence about this movie. The funny scenes were absolutely hysterical. All of the characters were very well developed and played off of each other wonderfully. This applies especially to the rock star boyfriend. He was great. The movie also did an excellent job of portraying the break up emotions whether it be the victim, the supporting friends, or the dumper. It all seemed very genuine. Unfortunately, there were way too many dead spots that dragged. For every total belly laugh, there was blah stuff for a good 10 - 15 minutes. Everyone should also be forewarned about the full frontal male nudity of Jason Segel. I have been a huge fan of "How I Met Your Mother" (if you aren't watching it, people - you totally should be!) and am not sure how I'll be able to watch now fully knowing what his crotch looks like.
I would casually recommend people checking this out if they were interested. Its not a must see, nor an all out laugh fest, but it is a pretty decent watch.
I'm somewhat on the fence about this movie. The funny scenes were absolutely hysterical. All of the characters were very well developed and played off of each other wonderfully. This applies especially to the rock star boyfriend. He was great. The movie also did an excellent job of portraying the break up emotions whether it be the victim, the supporting friends, or the dumper. It all seemed very genuine. Unfortunately, there were way too many dead spots that dragged. For every total belly laugh, there was blah stuff for a good 10 - 15 minutes. Everyone should also be forewarned about the full frontal male nudity of Jason Segel. I have been a huge fan of "How I Met Your Mother" (if you aren't watching it, people - you totally should be!) and am not sure how I'll be able to watch now fully knowing what his crotch looks like.
I would casually recommend people checking this out if they were interested. Its not a must see, nor an all out laugh fest, but it is a pretty decent watch.
Pathology
Some say that Pathology is a window to God. As doctors, they see the perversion and corruption of the flesh by all means unnatural...by violence...by toxin...by madness...to determine the cause of death. As a result they are the experts in all signs of foul play and the best in the field can uncover all means of killing, even those that are seemingly undetectable.When med school student Ted Gray (Milo Ventimiglia) graduates top of his class he joins one of the nation's most prestigious Pathology programs. With talent and determination Ted is quickly noticed by the program's privileged and elite band of pathology interns who invite him into their crowd. Intrigued by his new friends he begins to uncover secrets he never expected and finds that he has unknowingly become a pawn in their dangerous and secret after-hours game at the morgue of who can commit the perfect undetectable murder. As Ted becomes seduced into their wild extracurricular activities the danger becomes real and he must stay one step ahead of the game before he is the next victim.
This movie was just downright cheesy. It started off good and had a Flatliners type of vibe. Not sure if anyone remembers that movie or not. Pre-Jack Bauer Kiefer Sutherland? Julia Roberts? Med students would kill themselves only to bring themselves back and share their experiences. Great movie. Anywho, I digress because this movie was not a good movie. I thought it would be something like Flatliners. What you got was essentially one of the stupidest movies ever - Crank - combined with med students in a morgue. The only thing this movie accomplished for me was making me want to be cremated and not left in the hands of nutjobs like these guys. The basic gist is that the students would actually kill people so that the other students could try to figure out how they did it. For some reason, this gets them all really horny so they all start having sex. I actually threw in the towel forty minutes in after one of the girls actually killed her father with the help of one of the other students and the two of them proceeded to have crazy sex on the floor in front of the bludgeoned body. This actually happened. Its horrid.
I wouldn't recommend anyone ever checking this out. Its total crap and never should have been put on film.
This movie was just downright cheesy. It started off good and had a Flatliners type of vibe. Not sure if anyone remembers that movie or not. Pre-Jack Bauer Kiefer Sutherland? Julia Roberts? Med students would kill themselves only to bring themselves back and share their experiences. Great movie. Anywho, I digress because this movie was not a good movie. I thought it would be something like Flatliners. What you got was essentially one of the stupidest movies ever - Crank - combined with med students in a morgue. The only thing this movie accomplished for me was making me want to be cremated and not left in the hands of nutjobs like these guys. The basic gist is that the students would actually kill people so that the other students could try to figure out how they did it. For some reason, this gets them all really horny so they all start having sex. I actually threw in the towel forty minutes in after one of the girls actually killed her father with the help of one of the other students and the two of them proceeded to have crazy sex on the floor in front of the bludgeoned body. This actually happened. Its horrid.
I wouldn't recommend anyone ever checking this out. Its total crap and never should have been put on film.
Run Fatboy Run
Five years ago Dennis (Simon Pegg) was at the altar about to marry Libby (Thandie Newton), his pregnant fiancée. He got cold feet and ran for the hills and he's been going in circles ever since. When Dennis discovers Libby's hooked up with high-flying-go-getter Whit (Hank Azaria), he realizes it's now or never. He enters a marathon to show he's more than a quitter but then finds out just how much sweat, strain and tears it takes to run for 26 miles. Nobody gives him a chance but Dennis knows this is his only hope to more than a running joke.
Simon Pegg is one of the best up and coming actors in Hollywood. I've already gotten to the point where I will go see a movie just because he's in it. Shaun Of The Dead and Hot Fuzz were two of the best movies to come out over the last couple of years. I was under the thought that this movie was from the same people and was pretty disenchanted to find out it wasn't and that it was actually directed by David Schwimmer of Friends fame. However, Simon Pegg and the guy that played his best friend made this movie just as good as those other movies. There were huge laughs, a true to life character driven script and awesome supporting characters. As it all comes together at the end you find yourself unavoidably cheering for him to make it.
I fully recommend that everyone check this movie out. Its a very funny and heart warming movie that should be seen by all.
Simon Pegg is one of the best up and coming actors in Hollywood. I've already gotten to the point where I will go see a movie just because he's in it. Shaun Of The Dead and Hot Fuzz were two of the best movies to come out over the last couple of years. I was under the thought that this movie was from the same people and was pretty disenchanted to find out it wasn't and that it was actually directed by David Schwimmer of Friends fame. However, Simon Pegg and the guy that played his best friend made this movie just as good as those other movies. There were huge laughs, a true to life character driven script and awesome supporting characters. As it all comes together at the end you find yourself unavoidably cheering for him to make it.
I fully recommend that everyone check this movie out. Its a very funny and heart warming movie that should be seen by all.
Leatherheads
Clooney plays Dodge Connolly, a charming, brash football hero who is determined to guide his team from bar brawls to packed stadiums. But after the players lose their sponsor and the entire league faces certain collapse, Dodge convinces a college football star to join his ragtag ranks. The captain hopes his latest move will help the struggling sport finally capture the country's attention. Welcome to the team Carter Rutherford (John Krasinski), America's favorite son. A golden-boy war hero who single-handedly forced multiple German soldiers to surrender in WWI, Carter has dashing good looks and unparalleled speed on the field. This new champ is almost too good to be true, and Lexie Littleton (Zellweger) aims to prove that's the case. A cub journalist playing in the big leagues, Lexie is a spitfire newswoman who suspects there are holes in Carter's war story. But while she digs, the two teammates start to become serious off-field rivals for her fickle affections. As the new game of pro-football becomes less like the freewheeling sport he knew and loved, Dodge must both fight to keep his guys together and to get the girl of his dreams.
I still am not sure what kind of a movie George Clooney wanted this to be. A sports movie? Not really. There was some sports stuff at the beginning and then a big game at the end with an hour and half of character drama in between while they flashed newspaper clippings on how the games were going. A slapstick comedy? Not really. It seemed to mix in some kind of Benny Hill type moments every 25 minutes and to be honest these were my favorite parts of the movie, but then they would just go away. A romantic triangle movie? Mostly. But then any time that it would get to a boiling type point, they would work in the slapstick or make the movie about questioning patriotism. Seriously. This movie was so all over the place that it was almost impossible to enjoy it even though I wanted to so badly.
I wouldn't really recommend anyone checking this out. Its not horrible, but it is a major disappointment.
I still am not sure what kind of a movie George Clooney wanted this to be. A sports movie? Not really. There was some sports stuff at the beginning and then a big game at the end with an hour and half of character drama in between while they flashed newspaper clippings on how the games were going. A slapstick comedy? Not really. It seemed to mix in some kind of Benny Hill type moments every 25 minutes and to be honest these were my favorite parts of the movie, but then they would just go away. A romantic triangle movie? Mostly. But then any time that it would get to a boiling type point, they would work in the slapstick or make the movie about questioning patriotism. Seriously. This movie was so all over the place that it was almost impossible to enjoy it even though I wanted to so badly.
I wouldn't really recommend anyone checking this out. Its not horrible, but it is a major disappointment.
Deception
An accountant (McGregor) is introduced to a mysterious sex club known as The List by his lawyer friend (Jackman). But in this new world, he soon becomes the prime suspect in a woman's disappearance and a multi-million dollar heist.
This movie was about as suspenseful as watching paint dry. It was pretty much a remake of that movie Derailed that came out a couple of years ago with Clive Owen and Jennifer Aniston. I sat there for two hours thinking that I had seen this before. There wasn't a single moment where the audience was caught off guard. If it wasn't for McGregor and Jackman's acting abilities, this movie would have made it to the don't touch with a ten foot pole.
I wouldn't recommend anyone checking this one out. It was a pointless piece of film that was made simply to take your ten dollars.
This movie was about as suspenseful as watching paint dry. It was pretty much a remake of that movie Derailed that came out a couple of years ago with Clive Owen and Jennifer Aniston. I sat there for two hours thinking that I had seen this before. There wasn't a single moment where the audience was caught off guard. If it wasn't for McGregor and Jackman's acting abilities, this movie would have made it to the don't touch with a ten foot pole.
I wouldn't recommend anyone checking this one out. It was a pointless piece of film that was made simply to take your ten dollars.
Young @ Heart
A documentary on a chorus of senior citizens from Massachusetts who cover songs by Jimi Hendrix, Coldplay, Sonic Youth, and other unexpected musicians.
This is one of those movies that makes you so happy yet so completely sad at the same time. It was amazing to watch the dedication of these senior citizens and I was laughing my ass off at certain points. Watching a bunch of 80 year olds perform Purple Haze, I Want To Be Sedated and I Feel Good was hilarious. The horrible part is that you find yourself getting very attached to the performers and you are devastated as they come down with serious illnesses and pass away. If you don't at the very least get choked up at some point during this movie - you simply have no heart whatsoever. I've always been very afraid of being that old. I can only hope and pray that I will still have the passion and fire that these amazing people have when I get to that age.
I very strongly recommend this movie to everyone. It is one of the best looks at senior citizen life/reality that I've ever seen and is beyond entertaining as much as it is touching.
Speed Racer
Born to race cars, Speed Racer (Emile Hirsch) is aggressive, instinctive and, most of all, fearless. His only real competition is the memory of the brother he idolized—the legendary Rex Racer, whose death in a race has left behind a legacy that Speed is driven to fulfill. Speed is loyal to the family racing business, led by his father, Pops Racer (John Goodman), the designer of Speed’s thundering Mach 5. When Speed turns down a lucrative and tempting offer from Royalton Industries, he not only infuriates the company’s maniacal owner (Roger Allam) but uncovers a terrible secret—some of the biggest races are being fixed by a handful of ruthless moguls who manipulate the top drivers to boost profits. If Speed won’t drive for Royalton, Royalton will see to it that the Mach 5 never crosses another finish line. The only way for Speed to save his family’s business and the sport he loves is to beat Royalton at his own game. With the support of his family and his loyal girlfriend, Trixie (Christina Ricci), Speed teams with his one-time rival—the mysterious Racer X (Matthew Fox)—to win the race that had taken his brother’s life: the death-defying, cross-country rally known as The Crucible.
This movie was downright painful for the first 30 - 40 minutes. There was so much information trying to be pushed on you at once and the filming style of assualting your senses like they've never been assaulted before was definitely turning me off. I was ready to throw in the towel and go home early when they got to the cross country race part of the movie. It was as if everything took a 180. Matthew Fox as Racer X became a more prominent character at that point. The information pump slowed up and I was finally able to just enjoy what was going on up there on the screen. The race scenes slowed down a bit and were easier to follow what was going on. And I guess that my brain was able to adjust to the way that they decided to film the movie so that it would be as close to the cartoon as possible even though it was live action. From that point on - I really enjoyed the movie. Looking back, I wish that the first portion of it hadn't been so aggravating. This really would have been a kick a$$ movie if that was the case.
I would recommend people seeing this movie. Just be warned that its a little too much for the first half hour, but then it gets much better. Its rated PG so you can definitely let the kiddies check it out. I'm sure that they will get as big of a kick out of the younger brother and Chim-Chim (the monkey) as I did.
This movie was downright painful for the first 30 - 40 minutes. There was so much information trying to be pushed on you at once and the filming style of assualting your senses like they've never been assaulted before was definitely turning me off. I was ready to throw in the towel and go home early when they got to the cross country race part of the movie. It was as if everything took a 180. Matthew Fox as Racer X became a more prominent character at that point. The information pump slowed up and I was finally able to just enjoy what was going on up there on the screen. The race scenes slowed down a bit and were easier to follow what was going on. And I guess that my brain was able to adjust to the way that they decided to film the movie so that it would be as close to the cartoon as possible even though it was live action. From that point on - I really enjoyed the movie. Looking back, I wish that the first portion of it hadn't been so aggravating. This really would have been a kick a$$ movie if that was the case.
I would recommend people seeing this movie. Just be warned that its a little too much for the first half hour, but then it gets much better. Its rated PG so you can definitely let the kiddies check it out. I'm sure that they will get as big of a kick out of the younger brother and Chim-Chim (the monkey) as I did.
Made Of Honor
For Tom (Patrick Dempsey), life is good: he's sexy, successful, has great luck with the ladies, and knows he can always rely on Hannah (Michelle Monaghan), his delightful best friend and the one constant in his life. It's the perfect setup until Hannah goes overseas to Scotland on a six-week business trip... and Tom is stunned to realize how empty his life is without her. He resolves that when she gets back, he'll ask Hannah to marry him – but is floored when he learns that she has become engaged to a handsome and wealthy Scotsman and plans to move overseas. When Hannah asks Tom to be her "maid" of honor, he reluctantly agrees to fill the role... but only so he can attempt to woo Hannah and stop the wedding before it's too late.
This movie was horrible. I knew going in that it was going to be totally formula and was essentially a male version of My Best Friend's Wedding. I figured that it would be a decently watchable date movie. I was so wrong. This movie was so insanely formula that it ended up being barely watchable at all. I laughed a total of three times in the movie, I couldn't have cared less about any of the characters at all, and you would have to be a total fool to not know whats going to happen in this movie step by step before even walking in to the theater.
I wouldn't recommend anyone bothering to check this out. Its garbage. Its not even worthy as a date movie, people! Stay away.
This movie was horrible. I knew going in that it was going to be totally formula and was essentially a male version of My Best Friend's Wedding. I figured that it would be a decently watchable date movie. I was so wrong. This movie was so insanely formula that it ended up being barely watchable at all. I laughed a total of three times in the movie, I couldn't have cared less about any of the characters at all, and you would have to be a total fool to not know whats going to happen in this movie step by step before even walking in to the theater.
I wouldn't recommend anyone bothering to check this out. Its garbage. Its not even worthy as a date movie, people! Stay away.
The Love Guru
In the comedy The Love Guru, Pitka (Mike Myers) is an American who was left at the gates of an ashram in India as a child and raised by gurus. He moves back to the U.S. to seek fame and fortune in the world of self-help and spirituality. His unorthodox methods are put to the test when he must settle a rift between Toronto Maple Leafs star hockey player Darren Roanoke (Malco) and his estranged wife. After the split, Roanoke's wife starts dating L.A. Kings star Jacques Grande (Timberlake) out of revenge, sending her husband into a major professional skid -- to the horror of the teams' owner Jane Bullard (Alba) and Coach Cherkov (Troyer). Pitka must return the couple to marital nirvana and get Roanoke back on his game so the team can break the 40-year-old "Bullard Curse" and win the Stanley Cup.
Even though I found myself laughing at various points throughout the movie - this is one of the dumbest movies I've ever seen. Essentially, Mike Myers hasn't done anything since Austin Powers (not counting the voice of Shrek) and returns to the the screen so he can do Austin Powers . . . . . with an Indian accent? Most of the funny parts were in the trailer. I did however like the various titles of his book and couldn't stop laughing when he would say hello to people by bowing and saying Marishka Hargitay. Outside of that - it was stale, rehashed, and a real shame because he's much better than this.
I wouldn't really recommend anyone checking this out. This one could definitely be waited until it hits cable.
Even though I found myself laughing at various points throughout the movie - this is one of the dumbest movies I've ever seen. Essentially, Mike Myers hasn't done anything since Austin Powers (not counting the voice of Shrek) and returns to the the screen so he can do Austin Powers . . . . . with an Indian accent? Most of the funny parts were in the trailer. I did however like the various titles of his book and couldn't stop laughing when he would say hello to people by bowing and saying Marishka Hargitay. Outside of that - it was stale, rehashed, and a real shame because he's much better than this.
I wouldn't really recommend anyone checking this out. This one could definitely be waited until it hits cable.
88 Minutes
In 88 Minutes, Al Pacino stars as Dr. Jack Gramm, a college professor who moonlights as a forensic psychiatrist for the FBI. When Gramm receives a death threat claiming he has only 88 minutes to live, he must use all his skills and training to narrow down the possible suspects, who include a disgruntled student, a jilted former lover, and a serial killer who is already on death row, before his time runs out.
I had no clue what was going on when this movie started. It felt like I had missed the first 10 minutes or something because it hit the ground running and played catch up with character development later. I was not a big fan of this. I was getting really annoyed at the fact that it felt like I should know all these people when they had just shown up on screen for the first time. Luckily, I am a huge fan of Al Pacino and stayed interested just because of him. As time went on, and they continued to develop the characters, the movie did get better. It was your basic forensic/crime thriller movie. It was like a really good episode of CSI or Criminal Minds . . . . . with Al Pacino. Although it was very jumpy/choppy for the first half hour or so, it did end up being a pretty decent watch.
I would recommend anyone who enjoys these types of movies check this one out. Just tell yourself that it does get better if you find it kind of blah at the start.
I had no clue what was going on when this movie started. It felt like I had missed the first 10 minutes or something because it hit the ground running and played catch up with character development later. I was not a big fan of this. I was getting really annoyed at the fact that it felt like I should know all these people when they had just shown up on screen for the first time. Luckily, I am a huge fan of Al Pacino and stayed interested just because of him. As time went on, and they continued to develop the characters, the movie did get better. It was your basic forensic/crime thriller movie. It was like a really good episode of CSI or Criminal Minds . . . . . with Al Pacino. Although it was very jumpy/choppy for the first half hour or so, it did end up being a pretty decent watch.
I would recommend anyone who enjoys these types of movies check this one out. Just tell yourself that it does get better if you find it kind of blah at the start.
The Forbidden Kingdom
In The Forbidden Kingdom, American teenager Jason (Michael Angarano), who is obsessed with Hong Kong cinema and kungfu classics, finds an antique Chinese staff in a pawn shop: the legendary stick weapon of the Chinese sage and warrior, the Monkey King (Jet Li). With the lost relic in hand, Jason unexpectedly finds himself transported back to ancient China. There, he meets the drunken kung fu master, Lu Yan (Jackie Chan), an enigmatic and skillful Silent Monk (Jet Li) and a vengeance-bent kung fu beauty, Golden Sparrow (Crystal Liu Yi Fei), who lead him on his quest to return the staff to its rightful owner, the Monkey King - imprisoned in stone by the evil Jade Warlord (Collin Chou) for five hundred years. Along the way, while attempting to outmaneuver scores of Jade Warriors, Cult Killers and the deadly White Hair Demoness, Ni Chang (Li Bing Bing), Jason learns about honor, loyalty and friendship, and the true meaning of kung fu, and thus frees himself.
I loved this movie! It made me feel like I was five years old again watching kung fu movies on Saturday mornings while my mother was doing laundry. I have always loved these kinds of movies and this one was essentially like a kung fu version of The Wizard Of Oz. Before freaking out at how potentially blasphemous that statement can be - let me explain. The kid gets transported to this crazy land. He then meets three distinct personalities at seperate times and the four of them work together to travel and accomplish their mission. The camaraderie between the four main characters, especially Jackie Chan and Jet Li was awesome. The action and fight scenes were phenomenal. As you can tell from the summary above that the overall story was silly and beyond far fetched and that this movie is not a "great" movie in terms of awards or excellence, but this movie is simple enjoyment at its finest. A truly great popcorn movie.
I fully recommend that everyone check this out. Its old school, simple fun that I really wish they would make more of.
I loved this movie! It made me feel like I was five years old again watching kung fu movies on Saturday mornings while my mother was doing laundry. I have always loved these kinds of movies and this one was essentially like a kung fu version of The Wizard Of Oz. Before freaking out at how potentially blasphemous that statement can be - let me explain. The kid gets transported to this crazy land. He then meets three distinct personalities at seperate times and the four of them work together to travel and accomplish their mission. The camaraderie between the four main characters, especially Jackie Chan and Jet Li was awesome. The action and fight scenes were phenomenal. As you can tell from the summary above that the overall story was silly and beyond far fetched and that this movie is not a "great" movie in terms of awards or excellence, but this movie is simple enjoyment at its finest. A truly great popcorn movie.
I fully recommend that everyone check this out. Its old school, simple fun that I really wish they would make more of.
Baby Mama
Successful and single businesswoman Kate Holbrook (Tina Fey) has long put her career ahead of a personal life. Now 37, she's finally determined to have a kid on her own. But her plan is thrown a curve ball after she discovers she has only a million-to-one chance of getting pregnant. Undaunted, the driven Kate allows South Philly working girl Angie Ostrowiski (Amy Poehler) to become her unlikely surrogate. Simple enough... After learning from the steely head (Sigourney Weaver) of their surrogacy center that Angie is pregnant, Kate goes into precision nesting mode: reading childcare books, baby-proofing the apartment and researching top pre-schools. But the executive's well-organized strategy is turned upside down when her Baby Mama shows up at her doorstep with no place to live. An unstoppable force meets an immovable object as structured Kate tries to turn vibrant Angie into the perfect expectant mom. In a comic battle of wills, they will struggle their way through preparation for the baby's arrival. And in the middle of this tug-of-war, they'll discover two kinds of family: the one you're born to and the one you make.
I've never watched 30 Rock. I don't know why. I just haven't. So, I wasn't expecting something similar to that show and just went in to this movie with moderate, at best, expectations of some good laughs and that's exactly what I got. The movie wasn't all out hilarious, most of the really funny scenes were in the commercials, and it definitely dragged a bit towards the end, but Tina Fey and Amy Poehler playing off each other produced more than enough laughs to make the movie worth watching. Amy Poehler definitely made the movie. The karaoke singing scenes were priceless.
I would recommend anyone who was interested in checking this out go ahead and do so. Its not a must see by any means, but its worth the trip to the video store.
I've never watched 30 Rock. I don't know why. I just haven't. So, I wasn't expecting something similar to that show and just went in to this movie with moderate, at best, expectations of some good laughs and that's exactly what I got. The movie wasn't all out hilarious, most of the really funny scenes were in the commercials, and it definitely dragged a bit towards the end, but Tina Fey and Amy Poehler playing off each other produced more than enough laughs to make the movie worth watching. Amy Poehler definitely made the movie. The karaoke singing scenes were priceless.
I would recommend anyone who was interested in checking this out go ahead and do so. Its not a must see by any means, but its worth the trip to the video store.
The Promotion
John C. Reilly and Seann William Scott lend their comedic touch to the story of two mid-level Chicago supermarket employees – Doug and Richard, a dubious new guy from Canada - who compete ruthlessly for a coveted managerial post at a new store location. Doug and Richard could not be more different, but going head-to-head in a contest of wits and will reveals how they have more in common than they once suspected. The duo battle toward a hilarious final showdown that will leave you guessing until the very end.
This movie started out very funny. Anyone who has ever had to deal with customer feedback in a retail/customer service position will laugh out loud at a couple of scenes. It had a lot of potential to be a great, under the radar comedy. I was intrigued from seeing this poster because I thought the two of them would be able to play off of each other very well and they did . . . . . . for a while. Unfortunately, the movie pretty much ran its course about halfway through the movie and felt pretty flat after that. I found myself wanting the movie to end out of boredom.
I wouldn't really recommend this movie for rental. You can just wait until it hits cable. Its not a bad movie, it just becomes pretty boring after a good start.
This movie started out very funny. Anyone who has ever had to deal with customer feedback in a retail/customer service position will laugh out loud at a couple of scenes. It had a lot of potential to be a great, under the radar comedy. I was intrigued from seeing this poster because I thought the two of them would be able to play off of each other very well and they did . . . . . . for a while. Unfortunately, the movie pretty much ran its course about halfway through the movie and felt pretty flat after that. I found myself wanting the movie to end out of boredom.
I wouldn't really recommend this movie for rental. You can just wait until it hits cable. Its not a bad movie, it just becomes pretty boring after a good start.
Where In The World Is Osama Bin Laden?
With a baby on the way, and a need to make the world safe for infant-kind, an unassuming guy from West Virginia takes on what no special ops team could do: he puts to use his complete lack of experience, knowledge, and expertise to find the most wanted man on earth.
I love Morgan Spurlock. His documentaries manage to be beyond informative and totally hold back on his personal opinion. He's like the anti-Michael Moore. Michael Moore seems to make movies and research just to prove his line of thinking. Morgan Spurlock makes documentaries and simply shows what he has found on a certain topic. This movie is no different. He makes numerous points on how Al Queda is wrong. He makes numerous points about how America is wrong. Most importantly, he mocks the stupidity and ridiculousness of it all. The format of the movie was awesome. The graphics for explanation scenes and the location shots of him sitting in destroyed locations was beyond well done. It was also great how they documented him looking in to all this and his wife working her way through her pregnancy side by side.
I fully recommend this movie, and anything done by Morgan Spurlock for that matter, to everyone. The man is a very gifted documentary film maker.
I love Morgan Spurlock. His documentaries manage to be beyond informative and totally hold back on his personal opinion. He's like the anti-Michael Moore. Michael Moore seems to make movies and research just to prove his line of thinking. Morgan Spurlock makes documentaries and simply shows what he has found on a certain topic. This movie is no different. He makes numerous points on how Al Queda is wrong. He makes numerous points about how America is wrong. Most importantly, he mocks the stupidity and ridiculousness of it all. The format of the movie was awesome. The graphics for explanation scenes and the location shots of him sitting in destroyed locations was beyond well done. It was also great how they documented him looking in to all this and his wife working her way through her pregnancy side by side.
I fully recommend this movie, and anything done by Morgan Spurlock for that matter, to everyone. The man is a very gifted documentary film maker.
Son Of Rambow
Son of Rambow is a fresh take on friendship, family, film heroes and the death-defying adventures of growing up in the video age. The story takes place in 1980s Britain, where young Will Proudfoot is raised in isolation among The Brethren, a puritanical religious sect in which music and TV are strictly forbidden. When Will encounters his first movie, a pirated copy of "Rambo: First Blood" his imagination is blown wide open. Now, Will sets out to join forces with the seemingly diabolical school bully, Lee Carter, to make their own action epic, devising wildly creative, on-the-fly stunts, all the while hiding out from The Brethren. When school popularity finally descends on Will and Lee in the form of the super-cool French exchange student, Didier Revol, their remarkable new friendship and precious film are pushed, quite literally, to the breaking point.
I really enjoyed this movie. It really seemed to capture being a kid and using your imagination and creativity. It also captured how great a random budding friendship can be when you are kids. The progression of these two friends really gets you emotionally attached to what they are going through. The only part that I really didn't like and felt held back the movie big time was Will Proudfoot being a member of "the brethren". It was totally uneccesary and distracted the viewers from the really good friendship story.
I very stronly recommend this movie to everyone. Its not a must see and definitely has lame plot points, but it is an awesome reminder of the types of things you used to get wrapped up in as a kid with your best friend.
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