Paranormal Activity

After a young, middle class couple moves into what seems like a typical suburban "starter" tract house, they become increasingly disturbed by a presence that may or may not be somehow demonic but is certainly most active in the middle of the night. Especially when they sleep. Or try to.


I'm not going to beat around the bush here. This movie f#cked me up royally. I have had a hard time sleeping the last two nights. I have woken up the past two nights at 2 or 3am and haven't been able to fall back asleep for like 2 hours each night because of the paranoia that this movie has instilled in me. Movies as a whole don't tend to scare me. I feel kind of crazy to say that I feel like I've been desensitized to the violence and what not after seeing so many of them. Its usually certain scenes from movies that will get me (the last one being The Grudge . . . . . still haven't recovered from that crazy things face in the closet). This movie is probably the most terrifyingly transfixed I have ever been watching a movie. During the night scenes where the camera was on a tripod filming their bedroom like the poster depicts, my whole body was tense. I was afraid to movie. I was too petrified to even talk. I was relieved when the movie would go to the daytime parts. Those parts were pretty crappy movie making wise but at that point I was just relieved for the tension release. This was one of the best movie going "experiences" I've ever had.


I couldn't recommend this movie more if I tried. Not because it is necessarily a great movie. To be honest, its really not. The terrifying experience of watching what happens to these two people while they are sleeping is so believable and frightening that this makes seeing this movie in theaters a must see experience.

9

When 9 (Elijah Wood) first comes to life, he finds himself in a post-apocalyptic world. All humans are gone, and it is only by chance that he discovers a small community of others like him taking refuge from fearsome machines that roam the earth intent on their extinction. Despite being the neophyte of the group, 9 convinces the others that hiding will do them no good. They must take the offensive if they are to survive, and they must discover why the machines want to destroy them in the first place. As they'll soon come to learn, the very future of civilization may depend on them.


I liked this movie alot. The animation was phenomenal. It ws super short and I'm always a fan of movies that are short and cut out all of the blah-blah-blah stuff. However, the one knock I can make against this movie is that it started really abruptly. I mean if you show up 2 minutes late for this movie you would be convinced you missed a 1/2 hour. I felt like there was a lot that could have been done or explained instead of 9 just kind of waking up. They explain how this alternate world came to be later, but it was a little bit strange how it started and could have been done better. This movie is also absolutely not for kids. Whenever animated movies come out, parents see it as a chance to do something with the kids on a rainy day. Your kids will have nightmares if you take them to see this. Its very dark and its very violent at times.


I would recommend that people check this out. Its not a mainstream movie whatsoever. Its animation on a Pixar level and you definitely enjoy the short ride.

A Perfect Getaway

Cliff and Cydney (Steve Zahn and Milla Jovovich) are an adventurous young couple celebrating their honeymoon by backpacking to one of the most beautiful, and remote, beaches in Hawaii. Hiking the wild, secluded trails, they believe they’ve found paradise. But when the pair comes across a group of frightened hikers discussing the horrifying murder of another newlywed couple on the islands, they begin to question whether they should turn back. Unsure whether to stay or flee, Cliff and Cydney join up with two other couples, and things begin to go terrifyingly wrong. Far from civilization or rescue, everyone begins to look like a threat and nobody knows whom to trust. Paradise becomes hell on earth as a brutal battle for survival begins...


This movie is a humongously huge turd. Its the most boring "suspense" movie I've ever seen. Its basically an hour of watching four people talk while hiking and then there is this "mega twist" that I actually called a month ago when watching the commercial. To make matters worse, there is still another 30 minutes after the major twist is revealed. The trick with these twists is that it has to be a much more climactic reveal. This movie was downright horrible. And for the record - I don't think I will ever be able to watch Milla Jovovich speak and not hear her saying "Multi-Pass" over and over again.


I wouldn't recommend that anyone check out this movie . . . . . . . ever. Seriously. The print of the movie that I saw was scratched and had two lines running down the middle of it. I'm dead serious when I say it was more enjoyable watching the scratch than the movie itself.

Jennifer's Body

Jennifer's Body is about small town high school student Jennifer (Megan Fox), who is possessed by a hungry demon. She transitions from being "high school evil" - stuck up and ultra-attitudinal - to the real deal: evil/evil. The glittering beauty becomes a pale and sickly creature jonesing for a meaty snack, and guys who never stood a chance with the heartless babe, take on new luster in the light of Jennifer's insatiable appetite. Meanwhile, Jennifer's lifelong best friend Needy (Amanda Seyfried), long relegated to living in Jennifer's shadow, must step-up to protect the town's young men, including her nerdy boyfriend Chip (Johnny Simmons).


This movie is one of the most god awful pieces of garbage I've ever seen. The script was bad enough to inspire a desire for deafness. The acting was even worse. I understand that people think Megan Fox is attractive. However, she has not a shred of acting ability whatsoever. Neither does anyone else in this movie. I can honestly say that I watched this whole movie with a disgusted look on my face. It might be the worst movie of the year.


I wouldn't recommend anyone checking this out. Ever. Its one of the worst things I've ever seen.

District 9

28 years ago, aliens made first contact with Earth. Humans waited for the hostile attack, or the giant advances in technology. Neither came. Instead, the aliens were refugees, the last survivors of their home world. The creatures were set up in a makeshift home in South Africa's "District 9" as the world's nations argued over what to do with them. Now, patience over the alien situation has run out. Control over the aliens has been contracted out to Multi-National United (MNU), a private company uninterested in the aliens' welfare – they will receive tremendous profits if they can make the aliens' awesome weaponry work. So far, they have failed; activation of the weaponry requires alien DNA. The tension between the aliens and the humans comes to a head when an MNU field operative, Wikus van der Merwe (Sharlto Copley), contracts a mysterious virus that begins changing his DNA. Wikus quickly becomes the most hunted man in the world, as well as the most valuable – he is the key to unlocking the secrets of alien technology. Ostracized and friendless, there is only one place left for him to hide: District 9.


This is a very tough movie to review without knowing the specific person that you are recommending it to. I loved it. I think its one of the better movies to come out this year. I have always been a big fan of sci-fi and this movie is a great sci-fi movie. It takes you to an alternate world and does a good job that you can believe it really exists. The story and how it is developed is very well scripted. It has well written political themes. Besides all that, I just kept telling myself that this was a 30 million budgeted sci-fi movie and I loved it. However, it is completely not a mainstream movie. I could see 75% of the people that see this based on the marketing campaign hating this movie. It reminded me a lot of Blair Witch Project. I saw an advance viewing of that movie a month before it came out and thought it was phenomenal, especially based on how simple it was. Then the marketing came out hyping it as the "scariest movie of all time" and people went in to the movie with such massive expectations that most ended up disappointed. This movie is awesome for what it is, but if you are expecting a major blockbuster type movie - you will be completely disappointed.


I can't blindly recommend this movie to anyone. I can say that I absolutely loved the movie. It was a well written sci-fi movie that suceeded in taking you to a alternate version of our world.

(500) Days Of Summer

An offbeat romantic comedy about a woman (Deschanel) who doesn't believe true love exists, and the young man (Gordon-Levitt) who falls for her.

This movie was great. I really enjoyed this movie. I thought it looked good from the preview but I didn't think I would enjoy it nearly as much as I did. It is one of the more realistic relationship movies I've ever seen. The back and forth storytelling was very well scripted and filmed. The chemistry between the two main characters was very believable. The supporting characters were well written (especially the young girl helping Gordon-Levitt). They also had these really great mocking film/commercial scenes randomly throughout the movie that were hilarious and fit in perfectly. SLIGHT SPOILER ALERT . . . . . . . . This is probably the best non-"happy" ending date movies you could possibly imagine.

I fully recommend that everyone check this bad boy out. Its opened very limited, but if you have the chance, its definitely worth your time and

All About Steve

Bullock's Mary Horowitz is a cruciverbalist - a crossword puzzle constructor. Her brain spins at warp speed with an endless stream of arcane information. She can come up with the perfect word - and dozens with the same meaning - at a moment's notice, but "normal" behavior eludes her. For Mary, nothing is typical, especially relationships. When she is set up on a blind date with handsome cable-news cameraman Steve, Mary thinks the chemistry is undeniable - that Steve is "the one." Steve, on the other hand, thinks Mary is crazy. Mary, who just knows she's found her soul mate, decides to do anything and go anywhere to be with him. She begins to pursue Steve relentlessly as he crisscrosses the country, covering breaking news stories. Mary's escalating infatuation with Steve is encouraged by the self-serving actions of news reporter Hartman Hughes (Thomas Haden Church), who enjoys torturing his insolent cameraman at every opportunity. With Mary never far behind and Hartman urging her on, Steve becomes increasingly unhinged. But when Mary becomes embroiled in the news story of the year, Steve and Hartman begin to see her differently. Hartman is plagued by guilt, knowing his game of one-upmanship with Steve has placed her squarely in harms way, while Steve is feeling his own pangs of remorse at his callous behavior. Despite the media storm surrounding her, Mary with her upbeat, unaffected manner brings together a small community of new friends. And all who encounter Mary will realize that sometimes the ones who don't fit in are the ones who really stand out.


Any time that a movie is willing to overexplain what their movie is about (see the above description I found for the movie), it tends to be a really really really bad sign. This movie is no exception to that. This is a really crappy movie. Its pointless. Its corny. Its garbage. This is also a prime of example of a movie studio turning crap in to gold based on circumstances. This movie was supposed to come out almost a year ago, but got shelved. I'm 99.9% sure that its because the movie didn't test well with audiences. Then Sandra Bullock made a huge comeback in The Proposal (although I think the credit for that should go to Ryan Reynolds) and Bradley Cooper was the hottest new star of the summer after The Hangover. So, the studio gets to repackage this movie as starring "the girl from The Proposal" and "the guy from The Hangover" when this movie was actually made before either of those actors did the aforementioned quality movies. And the piece of garbage that is All About Steve benefits off of the success of the other two. However, the people that get screwed are us. Needless to say, I saw one critic write "I saw All About Steve so that you don't have to" as his headline. That quote is beyond spot on.


I definitely would not recommend anyone check out this movie. I actually think the two stars should sue the studio for slander at how their names are being used to sell this garbage and probably putting a damper on the great buzz they had coming off their last movies.

Extract

To the outside eye, Joel Reynold (Jason Bateman) seems to have everything. After all, being the owner of a business he built from the ground up - with its patented brand of culinary extracts - should make the "Extract King" a happy man. However, if Joel hasn't reached his front door by 8 o'clock, he'll find his wife, Suzie (Kristen Wiig) cinching up her sweatpants – and about as interested in him as he is in her mastery of supermarket coupon design. Sexually frustrated, Joel confides in his best pal, Dean (Ben Affleck), a barkeep – and soon finds himself wrapped up in a convoluted scheme to make Suzie cheat on him first with a dim-witted gigolo (Dustin Milligan) – thereby allowing him to pursue beautiful new employee Cindy (Mila Kunis) with a clear conscience.

This is a tough to review movie. It was very well written comedy. Jason Bateman was awesome as always. There were good characters (JK Simmons always a favorite supporting actor for me). But ultimately the movie is totally pointless. It really just kind of treads water in terms of story/plot. Unfortunately, no matter how sharp I thought the writing was, knowing that the movie wasn't going to really go anywhere held it back big time.

I can't really recommend that anyone rush to check this out. Again, it has some good laughs. However, it is rather pointless and is just an hour and a half with some well written comedy. Looking back on it makes you really feel like you wasted your time.

The Hangover

Two days before his wedding, Doug and his three buddies drive to Vegas for a blow-out night they'll never forget. But when the three groomsmen wake up the next morning with pounding headaches, they can't remember a thing. Their posh hotel suite is beyond trashed and the groom is nowhere to be found. With no clue of what happened and little time to spare, the trio must attempt to retrace their bad decisions from the night before in order to figure out where things went wrong and hopefully get Doug back to L.A. in time for his wedding. However, the more they begin to uncover, the more they realize just how much trouble they're really in.


This movie is hysterical. I didn't think it would be able to match the laughs of the trailers (probably some of the best comedy trailers I've ever seen) but it did. The trio was perfectly written and cast and played so awesomely well off of each other. The ties ins of the baby, the tiger, Mike Tyson, etc were great. The movie was a little bit cruder than it had to be but because of the writing and performances it was a lot more tolerable than in other movies. As if the movie isn't funny enough, the picture slide show during the credits is one of the funniest things I've ever seen and one of the best non-blooper endings to a comedy movie ever.


I very strongly recommend people checking this movie out. It is soooooooooooooooo not for kids. Not even younger teenagers. The adults will have ridiculously huge laughs though.

Inglourious Basterds

Inglourious Basterds begins in German-occupied France, where Shosanna Dreyfus (Mélanie Laurent) witnesses the execution of her family at the hand of Nazi Colonel Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz). Shosanna narrowly escapes and flees to Paris, where she forges a new identity as the owner and operator of a cinema. Elsewhere in Europe, Lieutenant Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) organizes a group of Jewish soldiers to engage in targeted acts of retribution. Known to their enemy as "The Basterds," Raine's squad joins German actress and undercover agent Bridget Von Hammersmark (Diane Kruger) on a mission to take down the leaders of The Third Reich. Fates converge under a cinema marquee, where Shosanna is poised to carry out a revenge plan of her own...


I loved this movie. I have always been a huge Tarantino fan and was totally psyched when I saw this trailer. My expectations then were destroyed when I found out that the parts of the trailer did no justice whatsoever to what actually goes on in the movie, that it was 2 1/2 hours long and that at least 2/3 - 3/4 of the movie are in subtitles. I always got turned off a little bit when Tarantino's scripts got out of control chatty and the thought of reading it all via subtitles was not intriguing in the least. Now, I don't know how much my lower expectations effected my viewing of the movie but as I mentioned before - I loved this movie. Like I said - the parts with Brad Pitt and company that fill the trailer with all the violence make up such a small (and violent) part of the movie. The best part of the movie is the part of Nazi colonel Hans Landa played by Christoph Waltz. This guy had better get an academy award nomination. He was phenomenal. You find yourself glued to watching him speak the same way you were when Hannibal Lecter spoke to Clarice or when The Joker speaks in The Dark Knight. I found myself totally mesmerized as he talked people in circles about absolutely nothing and then flipped the switch into actually interrogating them. He (and Tarantino's script for his character) totally made this movie. Tarantino also did an awesome job of building up the tension towards the eventual awesome climax. As always, it could have been shorter and there could have been much less talking but Tarantino did an awesome job of having all his seperate little stories come together and he did it without jumping back and forth like he usually does.


I strongly recommend this movie to everyone. Its my favorite movie of the year at this point. Yes, its long. Yes, there are subtitles. Yes, there are some pretty violent parts. Its awesome filmmaking though. Its not Pulp Fiction/Reservoir Dogs good, but its easily Kill Bill good if not better.

G-Force

G-Force is a comedy adventure about the latest evolution of a covert government program to train animals to work in espionage. Armed with the latest high-tech spy equipment, these highly trained guinea pigs discover that the fate of the world is in their paws. Tapped for the G-Force are guinea pigs Darwin (voice of Sam Rockwell), the squad leader determined to succeed at all costs; Blaster (voice of Tracy Morgan), an outrageous weapons expert with tons of attitude and a love for all things extreme; and Juarez (voice of Penelope Cruz), a sexy martial arts pro; plus the literal fly-on-the-wall reconnaissance expert, Mooch, and a star-nosed mole, Speckles (voice of Nicolas Cage), the computer and information specialist.


Lets be honest. This movie is completely brainless. Its stupid. Its an insulting assault on our wallets. Its assinying. Its just another marketing masterpiece by Disney where they blatantly target our children 24 hours a day on the Disney Channel forcing us all to throw away or time and money because of our love for them. I could easily see this being on many peoples 10 worst movies of the year list. All of that being said . . . . . . . . I enjoyed the movie. I know full well how terribly horrible the movie was in terms of quality and substance. However, I chose to leave my brain at the door (and it definitely helped that it was free) and enjoyed going to a simple, "fun" movie with the wifey and the little stinker. It was simple fun after a crazy weekend and was enjoyable. I also chose to see it in 3D and would have to say that the 3D in this is better than most of the 3D ripoffs that have been put out there lately.


Regardless of me being able to enjoy this movie, I could never truly reccomend it to anyone. It is absolutely a bad movie. However, if you have kids they will absolutely enjoy it and if you can leave your mind at the door you might be able to as well.

Taking Woodstock

It's 1969, and Elliot Tiber, a down-on-his-luck interior designer in Greenwich Village, New York, has to move back upstate to help his parents run their dilapidated Catskills motel, The El Monaco. The bank's about to foreclose; his father wants to burn the place down, but hasn't paid the insurance; and Elliot is still figuring how to come out to his parents. When Elliot hears that a neighboring town has pulled the permit on a hippie music festival, he calls the producers, thinking he could drum up some much-needed business for the motel. Three weeks later, half a million people are on their way to his neighbor's farm in White Lake, NY, and Elliot finds himself swept up in a generation-defining experience that would change his life, and American culture, forever.


This is one of the more pointless movies I've seen in a long time. Let me just make sure that any potential viewers of this know - you don't see Woodstock. The only scene of the concert itself is from about 7 miles away on top of a hill and the guy is tripping on acid when he sees it so it turns in to a massive wave/ocean as you are looking at it. There isn't even any music in this movie. How do you make a movie about Woodstock without any music? This movie is basically about this kid and his parents, who end up being the absolute best part of the movie by far, and their involvement in the happenings of Woodstock. And you really don't end up caring about them at all. The movie was funny at times and then serious at others. Unfortunately, it doesn't commit either way and just kind of ends up being there circling the drain. I really think that Ang Lee might be the most overrated director in all of Hollywood at this point.


I wouldn't recommend that anyone bother checking this out. Its a pretty big and pointless turd of a movie.

Harry Potter And The Half Blood Prince

Voldemort is tightening his grip on both the Muggle and wizarding worlds and Hogwarts is no longer the safe haven it once was. Harry suspects that dangers may even lie within the castle, but Dumbledore is more intent upon preparing him for the final battle that he knows is fast approaching. Together they work to find the key to unlock Voldemort's defenses and, to this end, Dumbledore recruits his old friend and colleague, the well-connected and unsuspecting bon vivant Professor Horace Slughorn, whom he believes holds crucial information. Meanwhile, the students are under attack from a very different adversary as teenage hormones rage across the ramparts. Harry finds himself more and more drawn to Ginny, but so is Dean Thomas. And Lavender Brown has decided that Ron is the one for her, only she hadn’t counted on Romilda Vane's chocolates! And then there's Hermione, simpering with jealously but determined not to show her feelings. As romance blossoms, one student remains aloof. He is determined to make his mark, albeit a dark one. Love is in the air, but tragedy lies ahead and Hogwarts may never be the same again.

Harry Potter movies are always awesome. The books were awesome and every installment in the movie franchise always makes my top ten list at the end of the year. This movie is no different. The magical effects are great and not too over the top. We are just as attached to the characters as we've always been and its actually pretty amazing to see how much the kids have grown as actors. The back and forth between Harry and Ron in this movie was some of the funniest moments in the franchise. There really is only one knock that I can make against this movie and its only because of how I felt about the book. The movie standing alone is awesome. However, my favorite part of the book was the battling at Hogwarts that led to the climactic scene in the tower. I couldn't wait to see that all played out on screen. Apparantly I'll never get to see it though because that was what ended up on the editing room floor. The bad guys showed up and the next thing you know they are in the tower talking to Dumbledore. It was a little disappointing because of how excited I was to see that part from the book. Outside of that, this movie is just as good as the others. If I had to rank them in order, this would probably be in the top three for me with Prisoner Of Azkaban and Goblet Of Fire.

I don't really think it matters if I recommend this movie or not. Most people are going to see it and the ones that haven't seen any of the Harry Potters probably won't. Its yet another great addition to an already amazing franchise.

Public Enemies

In the action-thriller Public Enemies, we are shown the story of legendary Depression-era outlaw John Dillinger (Depp)—the charismatic bank robber whose lightning raids made him the number one target of J. Edgar Hoover's fledgling FBI and its top agent, Melvin Purvis (Bale), and a folk hero to much of the downtrodden public. No one could stop Dillinger and his gang. No jail could hold him. His charm and audacious jailbreaks endeared him to almost everyone—from his girlfriend Billie Frechette (Cotillard) to an American public who had no sympathy for the banks that had plunged the country into the Depression. But while the adventures of Dillinger's gang—later including the sociopathic Baby Face Nelson (Stephen Graham) and Alvin Karpis (Giovanni Ribisi)—thrilled many, Hoover (Billy Crudup) hit on the idea of exploiting the outlaw's capture as a way to elevate his Bureau of Investigation into the national police force that became the FBI. He made Dillinger America's first Public Enemy Number One and sent in Purvis, the dashing "Clark Gable of the FBI." However, Dillinger and his gang outwitted and outgunned Purvis' men in wild chases and shootouts. Only after importing a crew of Western ex-lawmen (newly baptized as agents) and orchestrating epic betrayals—from the infamous "Lady in Red" to the Chicago crime boss Frank Nitti—were Purvis, the FBI and their new crew of gunfighters able to close in on Dillinger.


This was a very enjoyable movie. I have always been of fan of Michael Mann directed movies. I just like the look that his movies have. Johnny Depp is one of the top three actors in Hollywood and has pretty much reached that "We'd watch this guy take a $hit" status. Christian Bale finally shed the Batman overacting voice and was a solid supporting actor in this. The bank scenes and action scenes were great and the tension going back and forth between the bank robbers and the cops getting towards their eventual climax was very well done. The one real downer of this movie was the lovey dovey garbage between John Dillinger and his girlfriend. The movie would be trucking along at a great pace and then would hit such a wall when the two of them were on screen together. It really didn't seem to work at all. Its unfortunate because this movie would have been excellent without that major distraction that kept rearing its head every time the movie would build up a great head of steam.


I would still recommend people checking this bad boy out. Its not a must see by any means, but is a pretty good watch.

Julie & Julia

Meryl Streep is Julia Child and Amy Adams is Julie Powell in writer-director Nora Ephron's adaptation of two bestselling memoirs: Powell's "Julie & Julia" and "My Life in France," by Julia Child with Alex Prud’homme. Based on two true stories, Julie & Julia intertwines the lives of two women who, though separated by time and space, are both at loose ends...until they discover that with the right combination of passion, fearlessness and butter, anything is possible.

This was a very simple, enjoyable movie. On a side note, I have never watched anything that has made me so hungry in all my life. Seriously. I was ready to start gnawing on my own arm while watching this with all the delicious looking cooking. Anywho, the movie wasn't necessarily a chick flick. Pretty much anyone can enjoy this as long as you don't expect some sort of an eye-opening biographical thing. Meryl Streep will no doubt be nominated for an academy award as she was perfect playing Julia Child. Amy Adams was a little over the top whiny at times but represented the world of blogging quite well. I would have to say that was one of my favorite parts of the movie with her and her husband debating about her "readers". How many are there? How much do they care? I found it all very accurate and funny when related to blogging.

I would definitely recommend people checking this out. Its not a must see by any means but is a pretty enjoyable visit to the theaters.

Carriers

Four friends fleeing a viral pandemic soon learn they are more dangerous than any virus.

This movie is one of those spreading infectious disease movies that is just kind of there. Its not all out gore/horror. Its not done well enough to be like a psychological suspense type movie. You don't really care enough about the characters for it to be a character drama. Its watchable, but it really is the definition of just being there. I would assume that's why this movie never got a wide release.

I wouldn't really recommend anyone paying to watch this. If you have netflix - go ahead and put it on your wish list . . . . but just way towards the bottom. Or you just wait for a rainy day where you aren't doing anything else once its on cable.

Night At The Museum: Battle Of The Smithsonian

It's a new night and museum for Ben Stiller, who is joined by several other stars from the original film, as well as new characters from history -- including Amy Adams as famed aviatrix Amelia Earhart, Hank Azaria as villainous Egyptian pharaoh Kahmunrah, Christopher Guest as Russian tyrant Ivan the Terrible and Alain Chabat as Napoleon. Owen Wilson is back as cowboy Jedediah, and Robin Williams again rides into history as Teddy Roosevelt. The centerpiece of the film will be bringing to life the Smithsonian Institution.

This movie was essentially just a redo of the first one. More museum things come to life. They argue over something that really doesn't matter. There's some big laughs. There are some cool characters involved. Ben Stiller plays himself yet again. And it ends happy. The only real stand out part of this movie was Hank Azaria as Kamunrah. He (and his accent) were hilarious. Outside of that, it was just your basic, run of the mill, simple minded summer movie entertainment.

I'd would lukewarmly recommend this movie to everyone. Like I said - its entertaining but has pretty much no substance at all. If you have kids they will love it but if you are out to see a "good" movie, this really isn't it.

Terminator: Salvation

John Connor is the man fated to lead the human resistance against Skynet and its army of Terminators. But the future that Connor was raised to believe in is altered in part by the appearance of Marcus Wright, a stranger whose last memory is of being on death row. Connor must decide whether Marcus has been sent from the future, or rescued from the past. As Skynet prepares its final onslaught, Connor and Marcus both embark on an odyssey that takes them into the heart of Skynet's operations, where they uncover the terrible secret behind the possible annihilation of mankind.

This is another tough summer movie to review. Is it entertaining. Absolutely. Is it a good movie. Not really. The special effects were awesome. They really went all out with trying to make new variations of the terminators. The water snake ones literally had my mouth hanging open with awe at how they did that. The motorcycle ones were pretty bad ass too. Sam Worthington was great, but Christian Bale was pretty much completely wasted in this movie. The preview didn't do the movie any favors by pretty much giving away the only story of the movie. If they wouldn't have given away that Sam Worthington was actually a terminator, the first half of the movie would have been a lot more intriguing as they led towards the big reveal that again was shown in the trailer for the movie for the last 3 months. Outside of the build up to Sam Worthington being a terminator and not knowing it, there really wasn't any susbtance to the story whatsoever Its just more of man fighting against machine. This was completely not a stand alone movie. It was just another add on full of special effects to the other Terminator movies. And there was no attention paid to continuity at all. About half way through the movie, I started asking myself how the hell the machines knew about John Connor. I know that we know about his prophecy but how do the machines know? Kind of lost on that. All of those negatives being said, the biggest problem I had with the movie was the editing. There were scenes where I actually though I must have blinked for really long because it was as if chunks of the movie were left out. At one point, two characters are alone in the rain and the woman tells the guy to get firewood. The next second, the rain is over, the ground has dried up and the woman is about to get assaulted by three other guys. Something like this happened a couple more times throughout the movie and was very annoying.

Even with all the knocks on the movie, it still is watchable and entertaining as a thoughtless summer popcorn movie because of the effects and Sam Worthington. As long as you go in to it letting go of any hopes for continuity and/or quality - I would recommend watching it. If you are looking for a great movie - don't waste your time with this though.

Paper Heart

Charlyne Yi does not believe in love. Or so she says. Well, at the very least, she doesn’t believe in fairy-tale love or the Hollywood mythology of love, and her own experiences have turned her into yet another modern-day skeptic. "Paper Heart" follows Charlyne as she embarks on a quest across America to make a documentary about the one subject she doesn’t fully understand. As she and her good friend (and director) Nicholas search for answers and advice about love, Charlyne talks with friends and strangers, scientists, bikers, romance novelists, and children. They each offer diverse views on modern romance, as well as various answers to the age-old question: does true love really exist? Then, shortly after filming begins, Charlyne meets a boy after her own heart: Michael Cera. As their relationship develops on camera, her pursuit to discover the nature of love takes on a fresh new urgency. Charlyne risks losing the person she finds closest to her heart.

This was a very cute movie. I would have to say that this was the easiest to watch "documentary" I've ever seen. It was simple. It was understandable. You could connect to the people and their different lines of thought regarding love. You were also able to enjoy the friendships between Charlyne and the director and the connection between her and Michael Cera.

I'd recommend people checking this out. Its not a must see by any means but its a very cute watch if you don't mind taking an hour and half to just chill and watch this.

Angels & Demons

When Langdon (Tom Hanks) discovers evidence of the resurgence of an ancient secret brotherhood known as the Illuminati - the most powerful underground organization in history - he also faces a deadly threat to the existence of the secret organization's most despised enemy: the Catholic Church. When Langdon learns that the clock is ticking on an unstoppable Illuminati time bomb, he jets to Rome, where he joins forces with Vittoria Vetra, a beautiful and enigmatic Italian scientist. Embarking on a nonstop, action-packed hunt through sealed crypts, dangerous catacombs, deserted cathedrals, and even to the heart of the most secretive vault on earth, Langdon and Vetra will follow a 400-year-old trail of ancient symbols that mark the Vatican's only hope for survival.

Every review of this movie will ultimately involve it being compared to The DaVinci Code. There's simply no way around it. So, I might as well start by saying that this movie was better than The DaVinci Code. I read both books and also enjoyed this book a thousand times better. However, it ran in to the same problem as its predecessor in that all of the "suspense" in both books came from intense conversations. Unless you are Quentin Tarantino it is impossible to convey that kind of dramatic dialogue to film. Ron Howard is a phenomenal director. Tom Hanks is the greatest actor of our generation. I still think that neither one of them should be associated with the stories of Robert Langdon. This movie was waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too talky just like the first one and it ends up making the movie too smart for its own good. They definitely did a much better job of unfolding the story in this one but there were too many scenes where I could have taken a nap simply because I barely understood what they were talking about and wasn't made to care too much either.

I would somewhat recommend this movie to people. Its not a great movie. Its definitely not a bad movie. I want to say its good but then I feel like I'm rewarding it more than it should be. Its somewhere between OK and good.

Funny People

Judd Apatow directs Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen and Leslie Mann in Funny People, the story of a famous comedian who has a near-death experience.

This movie was completely great . . . . . . . for the first 2/3 of the movie. It was more of a drama than a comedy, but I was totally in to the characters and the one liners were all perfectly delivered by the great cast and were hilarious. I was really impressed with Adam Sandler actually acting and not being over the top silly like he always is. The relationship between him and Seth Rogen seemed very genuine. You really felt for Sandler as he coped with death coming. You were excited when he found out that he wasn't going to die. And then the movie just kind of hit a wall and had no idea where it wanted to go. It just sort of stopped and treaded water. It was so disappointing considering how in to the first 2/3 of the movie I was. I ended up not caring what was going to happen with Adam Sandler and Leslie Mann and was generally annoyed at how it turned out.

I fully recommend that everyone check out the first 2/3 of this movie. Its awesome. Just be sure to stop watching after Adam Sandler ends up being okay because it becomes rather pooptastic from there on.

Shorts

Shorts is set in the suburb of Black Falls, where all the houses look the same and everyone works for BLACK BOX Unlimited Worldwide Industries Incorporated, whose Mr. Black's BLACK BOX is the ultimate communication and do-it-all gadget that's sweeping the nation. Other than keeping his parents employed, however, Mr. Black's BLACK BOX has done nothing for 11-year-old Toe Thompson, who just wants to make a few friends...until a mysterious rainbow-colored rock falls from the sky, hits him in the head and changes everything. The Rainbow Rock does Mr. Black's BLACK BOX one better: it grants wishes to anyone who holds it. Before long, wishes-gone-wrong have left the neighborhood swarming with tiny spaceships, crocodile armies, giant boogers...and outrageous magical mayhem around every corner. But it's not until the grown-ups get their hands on the Rock that the trouble really starts. Now Toe and his newfound friends must join forces to save their town from itself, discovering along the way that what you wish for is not always what you want.

This is an enjoyable off the wall kids movie. It could have pretty much been called Spy Kids 3 with it having the same look and feel as the other movies. Its heavy on the sight gags and silly makeup/effects. This one was actually told in a non-linear fashion which actually made it slightly more interesting than it would have been. The best part of the movie was that the bad girl (Hellvetika)had a theme song that they kept playing for her and I haven't stopped singing it since.

If you have kids - they will enjoy this. You will not enjoy it as much as them but you've definitely suffered through much worse on their behalf.

Four Christmases

When upscale, happily unmarried San Francisco couple Kate and Brad find themselves socked in by fog on Christmas morning, their exotic vacation plans morph into the family-centric holiday they had, until now, gleefully avoided. Out of obligation—and unable to escape—they trudge to not one, not two, but four relative-choked festivities, increasingly mortified to find childhood fears raised, adolescent wounds reopened... and their very future together uncertain. As Brad counts the hours to when he can get away from their parents, step-parents, siblings and an assortment of nieces and nephews, Kate is starting to hear the ticking of a different kind of clock. And by the end of the day, she is beginning to wonder if their crazy families' choices are not so crazy after all.

Vince Vaughn has always killed me. He really has the best sarcasm delivery ever. This movie was no different. He had me laughing out loud numerous times and the couple finding out embarrassing things about each other through their families was great too. The only problem I had with this movie was that while it was hysterical for the first hour - it really hit a wall when it decided to get all serious and what not. I realized then that I was just enjoying the laughs and not the movie as a whole because once the laughs stopped I wasn't as in to the characters.

I'd still recommend that people go and check this one out. Its good laughs for the holiday season.

Star Trek

The greatest adventure of all time begins with Star Trek, the incredible story of a young crew's maiden voyage onboard the most advanced starship ever created: the U.S.S. Enterprise. On a journey filled with action, comedy and cosmic peril, the new recruits must find a way to stop an evil being whose mission of vengeance threatens all of mankind.The fate of the galaxy rests in the hands of bitter rivals. One, James T. Kirk (Chris Pine), is a delinquent, thrill-seeking Iowa farm boy. The other, Spock (Zachary Quinto), was raised in a logic-based society that rejects all emotion. As fiery instinct clashes with calm reason, their unlikely but powerful partnership is the only thing capable of leading their crew through unimaginable danger, boldly going where no one has gone before!


At no point was I ever anywhere near being a "Trekkie". I have always been a huge fan of science fiction but always found Star Trek to be too much. I was also a die hard Star Wars fan. I loved the characters and chemistry of Star Wars along with the science fiction. I always found Star Trek too be too nerdy and silly. This movie changed all of that for me. It was awesome! The special effects kicked ass. The young up and coming cast filled with "the guy from that movie" or "the girl from that show" was so well cast and played off of each other exceptionally well. And the story managed to tame down the nerdiness. It was heavy science fiction but done in such an action packed way that you don't have to have a PhD in order to understand what's going on. It was also written in that sarcastic kind of a way that you find yourself laughing thoughout the movie and the references to catch phrases from Star Treks past was priceless.


I couldn't possibly recommend this movie more. I loved it and as I said I've never been a big fan of Star Trek, but I definitely will be moving forward with this cast and director.

Bruno

Sacha Baron Cohen's gay Austrian supermodel Bruno comes to the big screen with similar hijinks and celebrity interviews as seen on "Da Ali G Show."


The first thing that I can't help but wonder after seeing this movie is how in the blue hell it didn't get a NC-17 rating. I mean really . . . . . a penis speaks after spinning and slapping about. I would think that would be the bottom line guideline in terms of rating. Its inevitable that this movie will constantly be compared to Borat, which I absolutely loved (and as a bit of a history lesson was the movie that started this blog site people. Show the love!), so I'll go on record as saying that I didn't find this movie nearly as funny as Borat. Don't get me wrong, there were some really big laughs in it. Unfortunately, this movie played a hell of a lot more like that one "oh my god - why am I watching this" scene from Borat with the naked wrestling and running. 3/4 of this movie are more scenes like that. I found the other 1/4 very funny but really wasn't too entertained by the over pushing of the rest of the movie. I can't really recommend that anyone see this not.


This is one of those movies where you really have to know who you are recommending it to before doing so. I know people that would love this movie and I know people that would think I was out of my mind if I told them to see it. Just be forewarned that this movie is beyond raunchy in a full frontal male nudity kind of way and see at your own risk.

My Sister's Keeper

Sara and Brian Fitzgerald's life with their young son and their two-year-old daughter, Kate, is forever altered when they learn that Kate has leukemia. The parents' only hope is to conceive another child, specifically intended to save Kate's life. For some, such genetic engineering would raise both moral and ethical questions; for the Fitzgeralds, Sara in particular, there is no choice but to do whatever it takes to keep Kate alive. And what it takes is Anna.Kate (Sofia Vassilieva) and Anna (Abigail Breslin) share a bond closer than most sisters: though Kate is older, she relies on her little sister--in fact, her life depends on Anna.Throughout their young lives, the sisters endure various medical procedures and hospital stays--just another part of their close-knit family's otherwise normal life. Sara (Cameron Diaz), a loving wife and mother who left her career as an attorney to care for her daughter, is sometimes lost inside the single-minded caregiver she has become in her efforts to save Kate. Her strong, supportive husband, Brian (Jason Patric), is often rendered powerless and passive by his wife's strength and determination. And their only son, Jesse (Evan Ellingson), drifts, at times all but forgotten as Kate and Anna take center stage.Until Anna, now 11, says "no." Seeking medical emancipation, she hires her own lawyer (Alec Baldwin), initiating a court case that divides the family and that could leave Kate's rapidly failing body in the hands of fate.

I watched about 20 - 30 minutes of this movie while at work the last two shifts. From what I saw, the performances all seemed pretty solid and it showed all the different fractures that a family can make when going through things like what is shown in the movie. I'm sure that overall its a pretty good movie. I just don't for the life of me understand how anyone can watch it. It was possibly the saddest 20 - 30 minutes of my life. It was just downright gut wrenching. This is just an all out assault on your heart and tear ducts. The only good thing that came from watching the brief parts of this movie emotionally was that I realized that things could be so much worse.

So I guess that if you are down in the dumps about your life you should go check this one out. It will definitely help you get your head out of your ass. Outside of that - its really just two hours of your life spent crying.

Up

Up is a comedy adventure about 78-year-old balloon salesman Carl Fredricksen, who finally fulfills his lifelong dream of a great adventure when he ties thousands of balloons to his house and flies away to the wilds of South America. But he discovers all too late that his biggest nightmare has stowed away on the trip: an overly optimistic 9-year-old Wilderness Explorer named Russell.

There are few things in life that you can count on. One of those things is that Pixar doesn't do bad movies. This is their tenth movie and if I was to rank all ten movies in order (I believe I smell a self-challenge there) the last place one would still have been one of the best movies to come out that particular year. Up is no different. In fact, Up might be the most touching of all the stories that Pixar have brought to life so far. Only Pixar could pull off a movie about a 78 year old man having to let go of his lost love that keeps the audience going back and forth between being about to cry and then laughing out loud all while being amazed by the beautiful animation. This is easily one of the best movies of the year so far. As for the 3D part of the movie, it wasn't a necessity whatsoever. I'm sure the movie would be just as amazing in 2D.

I don't just recommend that everyone check this out. I stamp it as a must see by all. Just be warned that it is incredibly sad at times.

The Ugly Truth

The battle of the sexes heats up in The Ugly Truth. Abby Richter (Katherine Heigl) is a romantically challenged morning show producer whose search for Mr. Perfect has left her hopelessly single. She's in for a rude awakening when her bosses team her with Mike Chadway (Gerard Butler), a hardcore TV personality who promises to spill the ugly truth on what makes men and women tick.


This is a great date movie. The chemistry between Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler was awesome. Even though you know damn well where this movie is going to end up from watching the commercial for it, the connection between the two of them makes you completely enjoy the short ride to get there. This movie also had a great collection of supporting characters that provided a lot of humor to go with Gerard Butler's great one liners. There is a restaurant scene in this movie with Katherine Heigl wearing vibrating underwear that is beyond hysterical. Just that one scene is worth the price of admission alone.


I fully recommend that people check this out. Its a great date movie for both guys and girls. Its also one of the funnier movies to come out in a summer full of comedic duds.

The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard

Who is Don Ready? Salesman? Lover? Song Stylist? Semi-professional dolphin trainer? Ready is all of the above, except for a dolphin trainer. When he's asked to help save an ailing local car dealership from bankruptcy, Ready and his ragtag crew descend on the town of Temecula like a pack of coyotes on a basket full of burgers. Selling, drinking, selling and going to strip clubs is their stock and trade. And they do it well. What Don doesn't expect is to fall in love and find his soul (cue heartfelt piano).


I watched exactly 23 minutes of this movie. It was stupid. Just plain stupid. Its another one of those sophomoric comedies that is pretty much targeted at an audience that is either too young or just old enough to see it. There were one or two one liners that made me chuckle but it was more the awkwardness of how they were thrown in there than actually being funny. This movie is literally built around Jeremy Piven's ability to launch in to convincing monologues. It gets old after about . . . . . . .23 minutes.


I wouldn't recommend anyone checking this bad boy out. Its another of those dime a dozen comedies that end up not being too funny.

G.I. Joe: The Rise Of Cobra

From the Egyptian desert to deep below the polar ice caps, the elite G.I. JOE team uses the latest in next-generation spy and military equipment to fight the corrupt arms dealer Destro and the growing threat of the mysterious Cobra organization to prevent them from plunging the world into chaos.

I was so geeked out when I heard that they were making this movie. I was a HUGE G.I. Joe fan when I was a kid and loved placing the names of all the characters with the marketing stuff that was coming out. There were a couple of years there where I used to carry my Snake Eyes figure with me everywhere. He was a favorite of mine on par with Yoda, people!!! Then, I saw the trailers for this movie and figured it was going to be horrible. However, I'm not sure if its because they made me have such low expectations or what but this was a simple summer popcorn movie action flick that ends up being easily enjoyable. Snake Eyes was worth the price of admission alone. The action was over the top and the script was beyond corny. However, its fun. Its not going to be winning any awards or gettting critical acclaim whatsoever, but its just plain fun. And for those of you that are G.I. Joe fans, this movie actually did an awesome job of laying the groundwork for character development with the intent of this becoming a movie franchise. The build up of the the villain trio of Cobra Commander, Destro and Zartan was great to the old school fans of the cartoon and toys. The only bad thing with this stuff was that I really wish they would have gone with a different mask for Cobra Commander. Just the geek in me talking out loud here.

I would recommend people checking this out. Its in no way a "good" movie, but it is a surprisingly good time at the movies considering how bad it looked. To quote my friend, "they should really kill the guy that put together the trailer for this movie."

The Taking Of Pelham 123

In The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, Denzel Washington stars as New York City subway dispatcher Walter Garber, whose ordinary day is thrown into chaos by an audacious crime: the hijacking of a subway train. John Travolta stars as Ryder, the criminal mastermind who, as leader of a highly-armed gang of four, threatens to execute the train's passengers unless a large ransom is paid within one hour. As the tension mounts beneath his feet, Garber employs his vast knowledge of the subway system in a battle to outwit Ryder and save the hostages.

This is one of those great summer popcorn movies. There are good guys that you root for. There are bad guys that you love to hate. There is some good chases/action. The tension is tight enough to keep your eyes stuck to the screen. Its movies like these that make going to the movies in the summer so fun. John Travolta as the bad guy was completely worth the price of admission alone. Denzel Washington could have brought more to the movie, but the character was written pretty lame and restricted.

I would definitely recommend people checking this one out. Its a really fun watch and a nice break from reality for two hours.

Aliens In The Attic

Aliens in the Attic is an adventure/comedy about kids on a family vacation who must fight off an attack by knee-high alien invaders with world-destroying ambitions--while the youngsters' parents remain clueless about the battle.

Unless you have gone to see this movie with kids and are only there for their viewing entertainment - this is a truly horrible movie going experience for you. This movie is blatantly for kids and adults who are used to watching movies/television with their kids. If it wasn't for Stinka being such a wonderous part of my life - this movie would have been beyond painful. However, I was able to laugh at parts and just be happy that she was loving the movie. This is one of those movies that Hollywood makes just to make money off of parents having nothing else to do on a rainy day in the summer with their kids.

I wouldn't really recommend anyone who doesn't have kids check this out. If you do have them - go ahead and take them and just keep reminding yourself that its only an hour and half and enjoy the 3 - 4 laughs.

I Love You, Beth Cooper

Buffalo Grove High School valedictorian Denis Cooverman (Paul Rust) has had quite an academic career... on paper, at least. Superlative student, conscientious young gentleman and patently obvious dork, Denis has played it safe and made it all the way to graduation day without ever having really experienced some of the joys of higher learning: breaking curfew, destruction of property, over-consumption of alcohol, fist fights, late nights, fast cars or faster women (actually, women of any sort). But all of that is about to change, and all by uttering five little words: "I Love You, Beth Cooper."

This is yet another of those movies that is just kind of there. It can't really decide what kind of movie it wants to be. It pulled up short of being a pushing the envelope sex comedy. But it went a little too far to be considered a teeny bopper movie. Its basically a movie that is meant for the type of nerdy guys that the main character is. Outside of that, there really is no hook that gets you with any of the characters and I found myself pretty bored and not caring. I laughed a couple of times but it was too few and far between to be considered a funny movie.

I wouldn't really recommend this movie to people. Its not that its flat out horrible. Its just not that good.

Ice Age: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs

The sub-zero heroes are back. Scrat is still trying to nab the ever-elusive nut (while, maybe, finding true love); Manny and Ellie await the birth of their mini-mammoth, Sid the sloth gets into trouble when he creates his own makeshift family by hijacking some dinosaur eggs; and Diego the saber-toothed tiger wonders if he's growing too "soft" hanging with his pals. On a mission to rescue the hapless Sid, the gang ventures into a mysterious underground world, where they have some close encounters with dinosaurs, battle flora and fauna run amuck - and meet a relentless, one-eyed, dino-hunting weasel named Buck.

I'm usually a huge fan of animated movies. However, I never really got in to the Ice Age franchise. I thought that the first one was pretty good. I thought that the second one could have easily been a straight to DVD sequel. I can't really put my finger on why. It actually bothers me that I don't like these more because like I said before, I tend to always love animated movies with these kinds of characters and humor. This one definitely fell in line with the others. I would say it was better than the second one though. Its watchable and if you are taking kids to see this they are pretty much guaranteed to love it.

I can't really say if I would recommend checking this out. I'm admittedly biased to not being that big of a fan of the franchise. I also saw this in 3D and it is definitely another one of those movies that isn't worth the extra money and what not because there wasn't remotely that big of a difference.

Orphan

The tragic loss of their unborn child has devastated Kate and John, taking a toll on both their marriage and Kate's fragile psyche as she is plagued by nightmares and haunted by demons from her past. Struggling to regain some semblance of normalcy in their lives, the couple decides to adopt another child. At the local orphanage, both John and Kate find themselves strangely drawn to a young girl named Esther. Almost as soon as they welcome Esther into their home, however, an alarming series of events begins to unfold, leading Kate to believe that there's something wrong with Esther--this seemingly angelic little girl is not what she appears to be. Concerned for the safety of her family, Kate tries to get John and others to see past Esther's sweet facade. But her warnings go unheeded until it may be too late...for everyone.

I am completely surprised with how much I enjoyed this movie. This was a really well done creeper. The girl was scary as hell and the build up of tension was exactly as it should be for a scary movie. For the record - I called the twist two months ago when I saw the preview, but its pretty crazy how it all pans out. This is probably one of the three best scary movies (out of 100 it feels like) in the past year with The Strangers and Drag Me To Hell.

I fully recommend that everyone check this movie out. Its probably the biggest surprise of the summer in terms of enjoyment.

Nothing Like The Holidays

It's Christmastime and the far-flung members of the Rodriguez family are converging at their parents' home in Chicago to celebrate the season and rejoice in their youngest brother's safe return from combat overseas. For Jesse (Freddy Rodriguez), coming home has rekindled feelings for an old flame, although she can't seem to forgive him for leaving. His older sister Roxanna, a struggling actress, has been chasing her Hollywood dreams for years with little to show for it. And much to the dismay of their mother Anna (Elizabeth Peña), eldest brother Mauricio (John Leguizamo) brings home a high-powered executive wife (Debra Messing) who would rather raise capital than a child.In the course of one eventful week, traditions will be celebrated, secrets revealed and major life decisions made. It all begins when Anna announces to her children she is divorcing their father Eduardo (Alfred Molina). The shock waves from this familial upheaval prompt Roxanna, Mauricio and Jesse, each in their own way, to reevaluate the past and rethink the future. But when the Rodriguezes learn that one of their own is facing a true crisis, they instinctively pull together: Old resentments are forgotten, familial bonds are re-affirmed and the healing power of laughter works its magic as the family discovers they are much stronger than they ever realized.

This movie is literally like This Christmas for latinos. Its the same song and dance with the numerous children and their issues coming home for the holidays and everything magically works out because of the Christmas holiday. The only problem is that while This Christmas had a hook that made you care about the characters, Nothing Like The Holidays did not. Every cliche is pushed to the max and you find yourself bored watching it.

I wouldn't really recommend anyone checking this out. Its not even that good of a simple holiday movie to be honest.

Whatever Works

An eccentric New Yorker (Larry David) abandons his upper class life to lead a more bohemian existence. He meets a young girl from the South and her family and no two people seem to get along in the entanglements that follow.

This movie started off really funny. Larry David played his usual over neurotic character. He would randomly refer to the audience watchting the movie and would go off on his phobia of germs and sickness. Unfortunately, the movie got stale really fast and I really didn't care what was going on as the movie went on. They turned the movie more towards Larry David's love interest and it never really hooked me.

I wouldn't necessarily recommend this movie to anyone. If you have netflix or whatever and its free go ahead and check it out. If you have to pay to rent it - you should probably just wait for cable.

Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen

In Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) again joins with the Autobots against their sworn enemies, the Decepticons.

Instead of Transformers 2 this will forever be referred to by me as Transfomers 2 Much. Holy crap! Why couldn't they just make a simple sequel. Instead they crammed in too much action. There were numerous points where there was so much happening that I had no clue what was going on. Too much robots. What was wrong with the ones we had already been introduced to? What in the blue hell was the need for the robot that somehow turned in a human? Especially, since it was basically for one part of the movie never to return? Too much blah blah story. The autobots work with the government . . . . but the government wants them out? Sam goes to college. I got that in the preview. Why did we need a 30 minute build up of that. Too much time on Sam and the girlfriend. As well as they played off of each other in the first one - at no point have I ever actually given two craps about whether or not they love each other. Too much of the parents. They were the funniest part of the first one. Why couldn't we just leave it alone with them being in the beginning? They really need to end up being part of the big battle and what not? Too much annoying complimentary characters. Including the aforementioned parents - the complimentary characters were great in the first one. This one consisted of the overexposed parents, John Turturo in the most stupid way to possibly be written in, the most annoying college roommate ever, and two sidekick autobots that made me want to scream every time they were on screen. Seriously. They made Jar Jar Binks seem awesome. Too much forced humor. What made the first movie so enjoyable besides the effects was the sarcastic humor running throughout. This one was filled with stupid humor. The two Jar Jar robots talking ghetto? The bad ass Devastator robot having wrecking balls for testicles? Even with all of my ranting this is a watchable movie . . . . . as long as your expectations are really low. The first movie was one of my favorite movies of all time. Needless to say - I had pretty high expectations for this movie.

I don't really think it matters whether or not I recommend this movie. Everyone will be seeing it at some point regardless. Just be sure to have low expecations because this is nowhere near as good as the first one. Its essentially a massively overdone sequel in every way possible.

Cheri

An adaptation of the 1920s novel by French author Colette about the lingering effects of a romance between a middle-aged woman (Pfeiffer) and a wealthy young man (Friend). Set in 1920s Paris, where the young son of a wealthy courtesan (Bates) is educated in the ways of love by a middle-aged friend of the man's mother. When he is forced to give up the six-year relationship after marrying someone else, the young man can't forget her and retreats into a fantasy world.


I watched about 15 minutes of this movie when we had it at my theatre to see if I would bother ever watching it again. I fell asleep almost instantly. From what I remember it was one of those old English type movies and was a total snooze fest.


It wasn't enough to capture my attention for 2 minutes much less 15 so no I probably wouldn't recommend anyone checking this out unless you happen to be in to those old English type movies.

The Proposal

When high-powered book editor Margaret (Sandra Bullock) faces deportation to her native Canada, the quick-thinking exec declares that she's actually engaged to her unsuspecting put-upon assistant Andrew (Ryan Reynolds), who she's tormented for years. He agrees to participate in the charade, but with a few conditions of his own. The unlikely couple heads to Alaska to meet his quirky family (Mary Steenburgen, Craig T. Nelson, Betty White) and the always-in-control city girl finds herself in one comedic fish-out-of-water situation after another. With an impromptu wedding in the works and an immigration official on their tails, Margaret and Andrew reluctantly vow to stick to the plan despite the precarious consequences.

This movie is beyond predictable. You have pretty much seen the movie just by watching the 2 minute trailer. There are no swerves or surprises. The characters are beyond cliche. However, I found myself laughing out loud a lot more than I expected. Even though the whole movie is completely textbook, Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock played off of each other incredibly well. Ryan Reynolds plays the same role he always does and his line delivery was as perfect as always. Sandra Bullock returns to the kind of role that made her big in the first place and is definitely back where she belongs. Her going back and forth between being completely stoic, fighting off tears of sadness, and then being completely over the top silly was great.

I never thought I would say this going in, but I would definitely recommend this movie. Even though it is beyond formula it is a fun watch and a great date movie.

Drag Me To Hell

Christine Brown (Alison Lohman) is an ambitious L.A. loan officer with a charming boyfriend, professor Clay Dalton (Justin Long). Life is good until the mysterious Mrs. Ganush (Lorna Raver) arrives at the bank to beg for an extension on her home loan. Should Christine follow her instincts and give the old woman a break? Or should she deny the extension to impress her boss, Mr. Jacks (David Paymer), and get a leg-up on a promotion? Christine fatefully chooses the latter, shaming Mrs. Ganush and dispossessing her of her home. In retaliation, the old woman places the powerful curse of the Lamia on Christine, transforming her life into a living hell. Haunted by an evil spirit and misunderstood by a skeptical boyfriend, she seeks the aid of seer Rham Jas (Dileep Rao) to save her soul from eternal damnation. To help the shattered Christine return her life to normal, the psychic sets her on a frantic course to reverse the spell. As evil forces close in, Christine must face the unthinkable: how far will she go to break free of the curse?

This is pretty much the most "fun" horror movie I have seen in a long, long time. Its rated PG-13 so there is no excessive gore or unnecessary nudity. However, it isn't totally lame like the Japanese remakes that we seem to get treated to once a month at the local theater. This movie makes you jump right out of you seat and then laugh your ass off at yourself for jumping out of your seat. The movie is really campy and you find yourself cracking up at the silliness and nasty sight gags during most of the "attack scenes". Its not a good movie in terms of being well made but it is a completely enjoyable thrill ride.

I would strongly recommend everyone checking this movie out. Its guaranteed to make you jump out of your seat numerous times and laugh out loud even more often.

Land Of The Lost

Will Ferrell stars as has-been scientist Dr. Rick Marshall, sucked into one and spat back through time. Way back. Now, Marshall has no weapons, few skills and questionable smarts to survive in an alternate universe full of marauding dinosaurs and fantastic creatures from beyond our world - a place of spectacular sights and super-scaled comedy known as the Land of the Lost.Sucked alongside him for the adventure are crack-smart research assistant Holly (Anna Friel) and a redneck survivalist (Danny McBride) named Will. Chased by T-Rex and stalked by painfully slow reptiles known as Sleestaks, Marshall, Will and Holly must rely on their only ally - a primate called Chaka (Jorma Taccone) to navigate out of the hybrid dimension. Escape from this routine expedition gone awry and they’re heroes. Get stuck, and they'll be permanent refugees in the Land of the Lost.

This is one of the worst movies I've ever seen. I stared at the screen for an hour and a half with a disgusted look on my face that I couldn't get off for another hour and a half of mumbling how horrible it was. And I have always been a big fan of Will Ferrell. I love Danny McBride too. I liked the tv show. This was just plain atrocious. It was so bad I don't even want to rant about it. I don't want to spend one iota of time referring to this piece of garbage.

Don't see this movie. Ever. Seriously. Its a lock for worst movie of the year and might make my top 10 of all time turds.

Imagine That

In Imagine That, Eddie Murphy stars as a successful financial executive who has more time for his blackberry than his seven-year-old daughter (Yara Shahidi). When he has a crisis of confidence and his career starts going down the drain, however, he finds the solution to all his problems in his daughter's imaginary world.

This is another one of those movies that is just kind of there. I can't believe how many of the summer releases this year have been like this. I only found it cute because the moments where he is playing with his daugher remind me of playing with Stinka. Eddie Murphy plays the same role he has played a thousand times before and the movie couldn't be more predictable if it tried.

I wouldn't really recommend anyone rushing out to see this. Its watchable and kids would enjoy it but you could easily wait for rental or cable with this one.