Up In The Air

Up in the Air stars George Clooney as Ryan Bingham, a corporate hatchet man who loves his life on the road but is forced to fight for his job when his company downsizes its travel budget. He is required to spend more time at home just as he is on the cusp of a goal he's worked toward for years: reaching ten million frequent flyer miles and just after he's met the frequent-traveler woman of his dreams.

This was a great movie. Its worthy of all the award recognition but its not one of those overly artsy movies. Its a really enjoyable watch. You really feel for the characters and you are fully invested in the short journey of thier lives you get to watch for 2 hours. Its also beyond realistic in every way and really makes you see all different ways that life can be lived and the reasoning behind it.

I fully recommend everyone checking out Up In The Air. Its a fun watch, a very well done movie, and one of the better movies to come out this year.

Precious

Set in Harlem in 1987, it is the story of Claireece "Precious" Jones (Gabourey Sidibe), a sixteen-year-old African-American girl born into a life no one would want. She's pregnant for the second time by her absent father; at home, she must wait hand and foot on her mother (Mo'Nique), a poisonously angry woman who abuses her emotionally and physically. School is a place of chaos, and Precious has reached the ninth grade with good marks and an awful secret: she can neither read nor write. Precious may sometimes be down, but she is never out. Beneath her impassive expression is a watchful, curious young woman with an inchoate but unshakeable sense that other possibilities exist for her. Threatened with expulsion, Precious is offered the chance to transfer to an alternative school, Each One/Teach One. Precious doesn’t know the meaning of "alternative," but her instincts tell her this is the chance she has been waiting for. In the literacy workshop taught by the patient yet firm Ms. Rain (Paula Patton), Precious begins a journey that will lead her from darkness, pain and powerlessness to light, love and self-determination.

Wow! This is one powerful movie. I thought for sure that this was going to be the overly great reviewed movie that would be completely be ruined for me because of my inability to watch it thinking why did everyone say this was so great. Not to say that there weren't moments where my level of being in to the movie faded a little bit. However, MoNique's performance might be the most despicable and hated performance of all time. I've never watched certain scenes of a movie with such feelings of disgust towards a character. There were a couple of the domestic violence scenes where I actually had to look away. Not that they were too graphic. They were just so mentally jarring. Anyone who thinks that they have it "so hard" should go right ahead and check out these scenes. I'm pretty sure it will give them a whole new perspective on life.

I would strongly recommend that people check this out. Its a truly powerful drama with one of the most disturbing yet well done performances ever.

Old Dogs

Two best friends -- one unlucky-in-love divorcee (Robin Williams) and the other a fun-loving bachelor (John Travolta) -- have their lives turned upside down when they're unexpectedly charged with the care of six-year-old twins while on the verge of the biggest business deal of their lives. The not-so-kid-savvy bachelors stumble in their efforts to take care of the twins (newcomers Ella Bleu Travolta and Conner Rayburn), leading to one debacle after another, and perhaps to a new-found understanding of what's really important in life.

This movie had a couple of big laughs. Its also short enough and paced fast enough that you don't feel completely weighed down by it. The part that throws me off is that this is a Disney family comedy with a lot of material that maybe shouldn't be thrown at the kids. The whole premise is based on a one night stand that produced two kids. I'm not so sure that should be comedic material in a family movie. Its also a lot of cheap humor. Don't get me wrong. I have a very high tolerance for cheap humor and did chuckle at a lot of it, but I will call it like it is.

I wouldn't really recommend that anyone be rushing to check this out. Its not fully for kids, but its kind of too low brow/formula for adults.

Planet 51

Planet 51 is an animated alien adventure comedy revolving around American astronaut Captain Charles "Chuck" Baker, who lands on Planet 51 thinking he's the first person to step foot on it. To his surprise, he finds that this planet is inhabited by little green people who are happily living in a white picket fence world reminiscent of a cheerfully innocent 1950s America, and whose only fear is that it will be overrun by alien invaders...like Chuck! With the help of his robot companion "Rover" and his new friend Lem, Chuck must navigate his way through the dazzling, but bewildering, landscape of Planet 51 in order to escape becoming a permanent part of the Planet 51 Alien Invaders Space Museum.

This movie was a somewhat decent watch. Its nowhere near the standard of awesome animated movies. Kids will definitely like this more than the adults that take them. Its short enough that it does end before it becomes less than a decent watch. As a huge fan of animated films, I have to honestly say that I was somewhat disappointed by this movie. The only part that I really enjoyed was "Rover". Outside of that, there really wasn't too much that I could take away from this movie other than being able to cross it off my list.

I wouldn't recommend that anyone go rushing to see this. It is not a must see by any means, even for those of you looking for an escape with the kids. If you really have nothing better to do - you could waste an hour and a half by checking this out.

Capitalism: A Love Story

Michael Moore's "Capitalism: A Love Story" comes home to the issue he's been examining throughout his career: the disastrous impact of corporate dominance on the everyday lives of Americans (and by default, the rest of the world). But this time the culprit is much bigger than General Motors, and the crime scene far wider than Flint, Michigan. From Middle America, to the halls of power in Washington, to the global financial epicenter in Manhattan, Michael Moore will once again take filmgoers into uncharted territory. With both humor and outrage, Michael Moore's Capitalism: A Love Story explores a taboo question: What is the price that America pays for its love of capitalism? Years ago, that love seemed so innocent. Today, however, the American dream is looking more like a nightmare as families pay the price with their jobs, their homes and their savings. Moore takes us into the homes of ordinary people whose lives have been turned upside down; and he goes looking for explanations in Washington, DC and elsewhere. What he finds are the all-too-familiar symptoms of a love affair gone astray: lies, abuse, betrayal... and 14,000 jobs being lost every day.

I usually have two problems when watching a Michael Moore movie. One - he doesn't remotely tell the "other" side of the story. Its his point of view crammed down your throat. Two - I enjoy my ignorance. I like not thinking about things going on in the world and focusing more on what is going on right in front of me. These movies usually just get me mad or annoyed or depressed. Why would I want to feel that way. This movie was just like every other Michael Moore movie in that it accomplished those same two things. This one was especially hard to watch due to living month to month financially. When I watch movies, I want to be distracted - not kicked in the stomach. Putting my personal feelings aside, I actually thought this was one of Michael Moore's better movies. You can tell that he was VERY into this one. The only problem with how into it he was is that the movie is MUCH longer than necessary. He easily could have gotten all this in to a 90 minute movie instead of closer to 120 minutes.

I would mildly recommend this movie to people. If you are a Michael Moore fan - you will definitely like this one.

The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day

"The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day" is the highly-anticipated sequel to indie cult classic, "The Boondock Saints." The film is the continuation of writer & director Troy Duffy's tough, stylized cutting edge saga of fraternal twins, the MacManus brothers (Norman Reedus, Sean Patrick Flanery). The two have been in deep hiding in the quiet valleys of Ireland, far removed from their former lives or modern technologies. When word comes that a priest has been killed by sinister forces in the tough underworld of Boston, they return to mount a violent and bloody crusade to bring justice to those who must now suffer the consequences, with a new partner in crime (Clifton Collins) and a sexy FBI operative (Julie Benz) hot on their trail!

This movie was literally made for the die hard fan boys from the first Boondock Saints. If you are not one of them, you will find this movie to be absolutely silly and a lot more worthy of a direct to dvd release. Honestly, I'm not even sure that you would really be able to enjoy it too much if you are one of the Boondock Saints fanboys. It really is just a lot of really lame set up for a decent shoot em out at the end. The FBI girl is arguably one of the most annoying characters I've ever watched. There really isn't much more to say about this bad boy.

I wouldn't really recommend anyone checking this out. I mean the fanboys are going to do so regardless, but its really not worth the time at all.

Where The Wild Things Are

Innovative director Spike Jonze collaborates with celebrated author Maurice Sendak to bring one of the most beloved books of all time to the big screen in Where the Wild Things Are, a classic story about childhood and the places we go to figure out the world we live in. The film tells the story of Max, a rambunctious and sensitive boy who feels misunderstood at home and escapes to where the Wild Things are. Max lands on an island where he meets mysterious and strange creatures whose emotions are as wild and unpredictable as their actions. The Wild Things desperately long for a leader to guide them, just as Max longs for a kingdom to rule. When Max is crowned king, he promises to create a place where everyone will be happy. Max soon finds, though, that ruling his kingdom is not so easy and his relationships there prove to be more complicated than he originally thought.

This was one of my three favorite books as a child. Shout out for Caps For Sale and Green Eggs & Ham as filling out the trifecta, people! Anywho, I had HUGE expectations for this movie. I was getting to the point where I figured there was no way that I wouldn't be massively disappointed. However, I was dead wrong. I loved this movie. It was everything that I had hoped it would be. I saw this with a group of 25 people. It was the tight circle of our friends and all our kids. The kids were able to enjoy it because it was lots of fun and different emotions portrayed very well. The adults were able to enjoy it as well - probably even more - because the movie did such an absolutely amazing job of capturing everything we've ever felt as children and how we learned to process things.

I completely recommend everyone checking this movie out. It might be a little too artsy for some kids, but it is a very well done movie across the board.

2012

Never before has a date in history been so significant to so many cultures, so many religions, scientists, and governments. 2012 is an epic adventure about a global cataclysm that brings an end to the world and tells of the heroic struggle of the survivors.

This movie is exactly what you expect it to be. Its got crazy special effects, lots of action, stereotype characters, pulls lots of heartstrings and has lots of extra storyline fluff that wasn't necessary. There is absolutely no way that this movie should have been almost 3 hours long. The could have mimized the governmental should we-shouldn't we blah blah. They could have cut out entire characters who really ended up not mattering in the end anyway. They could have left characters getting together by the end of the movie alone because not a single person in the audience cares. This easily could have been an hour and a half disaster movie. That being said - the movie is very watchable as long as you leave your brain at home and just enjoy the ride because ultimately thats all the movie is - one crazy ride. If you are able to do this, you can end up enjoying your time . . . . . . even though it is almost 3 hours of your time.

I would recommend people checking this movie out if you are in to special effects bonanza popcorn movies. Its probably Roland Emmerich's best movie since Independence Day. That's not saying much considering that the offers inbetween were Godzilla, The Day After Tomorrow and 10,000 BC, but its the closest he's come to the fun and crazy movie going experience that he first threw out there with Independence Day.

Ponyo

Ponyo is a story inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale The Little Mermaid. Already a box-office success in Japan, the story of a young and overeager goldfish named Ponyo (voiced by Noah Cyrus) and her quest to become human.

This is NOT your normal, run of the mill animated movie. Its one hell of a tough sell for mainstream kids and adults wanting to see you usual Disney fare. That being said, I really enjoyed the movie. Its weird and very foreign, but very well done. The animation seemed so simple, yet perfectly done. There really isn't too much more that can be said about this movie.

I'd have to know who I was recommending this movie to specifically in order to decide whether to say yay or nay. Its not a simple animated movie. It has in depth themes and foreign ways of translating them that handicap me from doing so. I happen to love it though.

Gentlemen Broncos

Benjamin (Michael Angarano), home-schooled by his eccentric mother (Jennifer Coolidge), is a loveable loner whose passion for writing leads him on an offbeat and hilarious journey as his story first gets ripped off by the legendary fantasy novelist, Ronald Chevalier (Jemaine Clement) and then is adapted into a disastrous movie by the small town's most prolific homespun filmmaker.

I only attempted watching this because it was from the same guy that did Napolean Dynamite. It was horrible. Granted, most people that saw Napolean Dynamite also found it stupid and it got funnier based on repeated viewings. I'm not sure that the same thing would apply to this, nor do I have any intentions of finding out. This was just plain stupid and a blatant waste of time no matter how you try to slice it.

I wouldn't recommend that anyone ever bother checking this out. There simply is no reason to press play on this.

The Informant!

Based on the book by Kurt Eichenwald. What was Mark Whitacre thinking? A rising star at agri-industry giant Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), Whitacre suddenly turns whistleblower. Even as he exposes his company's multi-national price-fixing conspiracy to the FBI, Whitacre envisions himself being hailed as a hero of the common man and handed a promotion. But before all that can happen, the FBI needs evidence, so Whitacre eagerly agrees to wear a wire and carry a hidden tape recorder in his briefcase, imagining himself as a kind of de facto secret agent. Unfortunately for the FBI, their lead witness hasn't been quite so forthcoming about helping himself to the corporate coffers. Whitacre's ever-changing account frustrates the agents and threatens the case against ADM as it becomes almost impossible to decipher what is real and what is the product of Whitacre's rambling imagination. Based on the true story of the highest-ranking corporate whistleblower in U.S. history.

This movie was both better and worst than I expected. Make sense? Lets try to explain. I think this movie suffered from really bad marketing. I was expecting it to be a lot more blatantly funny. This is in no way a normal comedy. The ads went out of their way to make it look like a witty laugh fest like Ocean's 11, 12 and 13. Its not. However, it is a very good dark comedy. The bottom line is that this dude was nuts. He couldn't stop lying. You find yourself laughing at how out of control everything was getting when it is in fact horribly sad that this guy just can't stop himself. There was a while there where I couldn't tell what was a lie and what was true. I enjoyed watching him spiral out of control but then genuinely felt bad for him when he hit rock bottom . . . . . only to be laughing at it all again just before the movie ended. The narration by Matt Damon throughout the movie was the best part of the movie. Especially at points when he's mid lie and starts wondering about indoor pools or where he should buy his ties only to snap out of it and keep the lie going.

I really enjoyed this movie but think that its marketing campaign hurt it big time. If you can go in to the movie knowing what it really is about, you would probably really enjoy this movie.

Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant

Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant, based on the popular series of books by Darren Shan, is a fantasy-adventure about a teenager who unknowingly breaks a 200-year-old truce between two warring factions of vampires. Pulled into a fantastic life of misunderstood sideshow freaks and grotesque creatures of the night, one teen will vanish from the safety of a boring existence and fulfill his destiny in a place drawn from nightmares.

I hadn't read this series of books so I had no advanced ties to the story or the characters. I would like to think that maybe I would have enjoyed this better if I had read the book though because there really was no hook with this movie whatsoever. The main kid was annoying. The special effects were pretty cheesy to say the least. The assortment of freaks, some actually played by legit actors, weren't on screen nearly enough. The only thing that made this movie the slightest bit watchable was John C Reilly's vampire. Unfortunately, most of his screen time was shared with the really annoying main kid.

I wouldn't recommend that anyone check this out. Its just kind of there and is in no way worth your money much less your time.

The Box

What if someone gave you a box containing a button that, if pushed, would bring you a million dollars...but simultaneously take the life of someone you don't know? Would you do it? And what would be the consequences? The year is 1976. Norma Lewis is a teacher at a private high school and her husband, Arthur, is an engineer working at NASA. They are, by all accounts, an average couple living a normal life in the suburbs with their young son...until a mysterious man with a horribly disfigured face appears on their doorstep and presents Norma with a life-altering proposition: the box. With only 24 hours to make their choice, Norma and Arthur face an impossible moral dilemma. What they don't realize is that no matter what they decide, terrifying consequences will have already been set in motion. They soon discover that the ramifications of this decision are beyond their control and extend far beyond their own fortune and fate.

This movie was an absolutely awesome psychological thriller . . . . . . for the first hour of the movie. It was like watching one of Alfred Hitchcocks movies. Just the old school tension music alone was awesome at getting you amped up to see what the couple was going to do. Then the movie turned in to this really weird over the top pile of poop that spiraled insanely out of control. I had no clue what was going on and even though I was so into the first hour of the movie - they managed to have me completely not caring at all by the end. I was just relieved that the credits were finally on. Its really unfortunate for a movie that started off this good to end so horribly bad.

I wouldn't recommend anyone going to check this movie out . . . . unless you want to go watch the first hour and then just leave pretending that the movie ends much better than it does. If you are up to doing that - this is an awesome movie. Staying to the end will make you want to punch a small child.

Sorority Row

When five sorority girls inadvertently cause the murder of one of their sisters in a prank gone wrong, they agree to keep the matter to themselves and never speak of it again, so they can get on with their lives. This proves easier said than done, when after graduation a mysterious killer goes after the five of them and anyone who knows their secret...

Sorority Row is what it is. If you are going to see a quality movie - you should absolutely not see this. If you are going to see a smart or edgy horror movie - you should absolutely not see this. If you are going to see your textbook girls getting killed off one by one horror movie - then you should see this. It was essentially a remake of I Know What You Did Last Summer but it takes places in a sorority. The acting is atrocious. Its so bad in fact that I found myself wanting to see all the girls get killed and loving it when they were. Unfortunately, that was really the only good part of the movie. I guess that is a sign of poopage when the only satisfaction found in a movie is the characters getting killed off.

I really wouldn't recommend anyone checking this turd out . . . . unless you want to see a couple of girls get killed off and really bad acting. If thats the case - you should rush to see this.

Everybody's Fine

Everybody's Fine follows a widower (De Niro) who embarks on an impromptu road trip to reconnect with each of his grown children only to discover that their lives are far from picture perfect.

When I saw the trailer for this movie, it did nothing other than open up the massive scars from "The Family Stone". Not sure if anyone remembers that movie. I sadly will never forget it. It was advertised as a feel good, family comedy for the holidays. WW and I were all psyched to see it. Turns out the movie was about the kids finding out that their mother was dying of cancer and this would be the last holiday that they would spend with her. It might honestly be the most devastating movie going experience ever. I saw the trailer for this and immediately assumed that Robert DeNiro was going to die. SPOILER ALERT . . . . . . . . . . . I was wrong. He makes it. However, this movie is horribly misadvertised. Its marketed as a comedy drama. There is NO comedy in this whatsoever. Actually, I'm wrong. I laughed at one scene that DeNiro has with his grandson about 15 minutes in to the movie. Outside of that there was nothing. Even the title is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay off. It should have been called Everybody's Not Fine. Putting my rambling aside - this is a watchable movie - IF you can identify with the crazy family dynamics. Essentially the mother passes away and the father who never really had a connection with any of the kids is trying to establish one now and the kids are trying to shield him from all the tough things in their lives.

As for my recommendation, if that last part above strikes an understanding nerve with you then you could check this movie out. If you have no idea what I mean by that or don't understand it - you won't enjoy this movie at all. Its purely a situational watch.