The Fountain is about one man's thousand-year struggle to save the woman he loves. His journey begins in 16th century Spain, where Tomas Creo (Hugh Jackman) commences his search for the Tree of Life. As modern-day scientist Tommy Creo, he desperately struggles to find a cure for the cancer that is killing his beloved wife Isabel (Rachel Weisz). Traveling through space as a 26th century astronaut, Tom begins to grasp the mysteries of life that have consumed him for more than a century.
In order to properly review this movie, I would probably have to have some sort of an understanding of what it was that I sat through. Unfortunately, I have no freakin clue. My afianced movie going partner (aka W Squared) is at a complete loss as well. Seriously. No idea. It went randomly back and forth between the years 1500, present year, and 2500. The worst part of it all is that apparantly in about 500 years we are all going to be stuck inside bubbles traveling through space with a tree that is made out of our soul mate looking for answers. Really gives you something to look forward to, huh? This is one of those movies that I will be wondering about for the rest of my life trying to make some sort of sense out of it.
Side note - Can Hugh Jackman please take about a year off from acting for the love of God!! Between what's in theaters right now and what is on the new release shelf at Blockbuster, the guy is in six movies right now!!! He is the dictionary definition of overexposed.
I wouldn't ever recommend this movie to anyone. It is a complete mindscrew that will scar you for life and everyone should run for their lives away from it.
Bobby
Bobby revisits the night Robert F. Kennedy was gunned down at the Ambassador Hotel in 1968. With an incredible cast portraying a wide array of characters from all different backgrounds, the film follows them at the hotel that fateful day which would change their lives forever.
It was a very weird experience watching this movie. I pretty much sat through the whole movie on the brink of boredom because the movie isn't really about Bobby Kennedy. The only footage that you see of Bobby Kennedy is historical footage of speeches and what not. The movie is just following these random characters, and you are stuck kind of wondering where it's going and why you should care about all these people for about two hours. Then the assasination and ensuing chaos happens and you realize that you had really grown to care about all the characters that you had been questioning the validity of. I was sitting on the edge of my seat for the last twenty minutes or so and ended up leaving the theater thinking that this was one of the best movies of the year.
I fully recommend this movie to everyone and think that it should be worthy of some oscar consideration at year's end.
It was a very weird experience watching this movie. I pretty much sat through the whole movie on the brink of boredom because the movie isn't really about Bobby Kennedy. The only footage that you see of Bobby Kennedy is historical footage of speeches and what not. The movie is just following these random characters, and you are stuck kind of wondering where it's going and why you should care about all these people for about two hours. Then the assasination and ensuing chaos happens and you realize that you had really grown to care about all the characters that you had been questioning the validity of. I was sitting on the edge of my seat for the last twenty minutes or so and ended up leaving the theater thinking that this was one of the best movies of the year.
I fully recommend this movie to everyone and think that it should be worthy of some oscar consideration at year's end.
Deck The Halls
A movie about clashing neighbors over home decoration. Steve (Matthew Broderick), leads a well-organized life. His new neighbor is Danny (Danny DeVito), and he couldn't possibly be more different than Steve. Danny's dream is to create the biggest holiday light display in the world, visible from outer space.
Words do no justice to how horrid this movie is. It is by far the WORST holiday movie ever. Did you read the summary? It's about a guy whose dream it is to make his house visible from space. Not world peace. Not good health. Not lots of money. Not for super powers. He wants to make his house visible from space!?! The only thing that this movie even has to do with Christmas is that he is using Christmas lights to try and accomplish the most ridiculous dream ever.
The worst part of watching this movie (besides the wanting to stab yourself in the eyes level of poopness overall) is the fact that I used to idolize Matthew Broderick as Ferris Bueller. Admit it! You all did! What the hell happened to this guy!?! How did he go from being THE MAN to the lame a$$ husband of Sara Jessica Parker? The dude had highlights in his hair in this movie!!! I wanted to cry when I thought about how much I used to worship this closet homosexual (not that there is anything wrong with that!).
I wouldn't recommend this movie to anyone. EVER!!! It is once again the worst Christmas movie of all time. And that says a lot when you think that even Ernest made a Christmas movie, people!
Words do no justice to how horrid this movie is. It is by far the WORST holiday movie ever. Did you read the summary? It's about a guy whose dream it is to make his house visible from space. Not world peace. Not good health. Not lots of money. Not for super powers. He wants to make his house visible from space!?! The only thing that this movie even has to do with Christmas is that he is using Christmas lights to try and accomplish the most ridiculous dream ever.
The worst part of watching this movie (besides the wanting to stab yourself in the eyes level of poopness overall) is the fact that I used to idolize Matthew Broderick as Ferris Bueller. Admit it! You all did! What the hell happened to this guy!?! How did he go from being THE MAN to the lame a$$ husband of Sara Jessica Parker? The dude had highlights in his hair in this movie!!! I wanted to cry when I thought about how much I used to worship this closet homosexual (not that there is anything wrong with that!).
I wouldn't recommend this movie to anyone. EVER!!! It is once again the worst Christmas movie of all time. And that says a lot when you think that even Ernest made a Christmas movie, people!
Deja Vu
Everyone has experienced the unsettling mystery of déjà vu. But what if the feelings were actually warnings sent from the past or clues to the future? In this action-thriller from producer Jerry Bruckheimer, it is déjà vu that unexpectedly guides ATF agent Doug Carlin (Denzel Washington) through an investigation into a shattering crime. Called in to recover evidence after a bomb sets off on a New Orleans Ferry, Carlin is about to discover that what most people believe is only in their heads is actually something far more powerful and will lead him on a race to save hundreds of innocent people.
I'm not going to pretend that I understood what was going on throughout this movie. I was totally lost for a big chunk of it. That being said - what makes or breaks movies like this is their ability to keep the viewer hooked/patient while the filmmakers bring us up to speed. This movie pulled that off magnificently. Like I said - I had no clue what was going on for a while, but I wanted to find out. Even better yet - when it did all get tied together at the end, I was happy with the end result. If it seems like I'm being a little too vague about the movie - I am. This is one of those where you can't say too much without giving it away. The bottom line is that it's worth the confusing ride.
I would fully recommend this movie to everyone. Just keep in mind that you might have no clue what you are watching for a while.
I'm not going to pretend that I understood what was going on throughout this movie. I was totally lost for a big chunk of it. That being said - what makes or breaks movies like this is their ability to keep the viewer hooked/patient while the filmmakers bring us up to speed. This movie pulled that off magnificently. Like I said - I had no clue what was going on for a while, but I wanted to find out. Even better yet - when it did all get tied together at the end, I was happy with the end result. If it seems like I'm being a little too vague about the movie - I am. This is one of those where you can't say too much without giving it away. The bottom line is that it's worth the confusing ride.
I would fully recommend this movie to everyone. Just keep in mind that you might have no clue what you are watching for a while.
Happy Feet
In the world of penguins in Happy Feet, you're nobody unless you can sing. Unfortunately for Mumble, he is the worst singer in the world. However, he can tap to any tune and that makes him one special penguin - even if the others in his colony see him as an outsider.
This movie would quality as a "Shrek" (for quoted definitions, read other reviews or just plain keep up, people!). I know that WW (a huge penguin aficionado) and myself enjoyed this movie just as much as the kids did. It was a tad slow at first until Mumbles left his clan and met up with the penguin voiced by Robin Williams.
Can we please take a moment and acknowledge Mr. Robin Williams as the greatest animated character voice of all time. Amen!!! Back to the review . . .
Once he met up with Robin Williams charactor (Ramon), the movie was very hysterical since Mumbles had this rag tag bunch of ethnic sounding shorter penguins who made me laugh out loud many times. There were lots of messages about taking care of the environment that I feel are kind of pointless is children's movies since those messages usually fly right over their heads, but the animation was great along with some really cute dance/singing sequences.
One random side note regarding this movie. Hugh Jackman supplies one of the voices in it. How many freaking movies can an actor be in during a 1 month span!?! Relax with the overexposure, Wolverine!
Regardless, I would very strongly recommend this movie to children and adults alike.
This movie would quality as a "Shrek" (for quoted definitions, read other reviews or just plain keep up, people!). I know that WW (a huge penguin aficionado) and myself enjoyed this movie just as much as the kids did. It was a tad slow at first until Mumbles left his clan and met up with the penguin voiced by Robin Williams.
Can we please take a moment and acknowledge Mr. Robin Williams as the greatest animated character voice of all time. Amen!!! Back to the review . . .
Once he met up with Robin Williams charactor (Ramon), the movie was very hysterical since Mumbles had this rag tag bunch of ethnic sounding shorter penguins who made me laugh out loud many times. There were lots of messages about taking care of the environment that I feel are kind of pointless is children's movies since those messages usually fly right over their heads, but the animation was great along with some really cute dance/singing sequences.
One random side note regarding this movie. Hugh Jackman supplies one of the voices in it. How many freaking movies can an actor be in during a 1 month span!?! Relax with the overexposure, Wolverine!
Regardless, I would very strongly recommend this movie to children and adults alike.
Casino Royale
Daniel Craig is the new James Bond in "Casino Royale." Based on the first Bond book written by Ian Fleming, the story, which has never been told on film until now, recounts the making of the world's greatest secret agent. James Bond's first mission leads him to the villianous Le Chiffre. In order to stop him from funding terrorism, Bond must beat Le Chiffre in a high-stakes poker game at Casino Royale.
Let me start off by saying that I really liked this movie. I'm nowhere near a James Bond buff, but I have liked some of them in the past and this one is one of the better recent ones. I thought that Daniel Craig was surprisingly good in the role of James Bond and the action at the start of the movie was the kind that makes you say "WHOA!" out loud. However, there were two problems I had with the movie.
One - it was too long and I think this was mostly because of the actual poker game that was being played. The movie was flying along up until that point and when they started playing cards it was like moving through molasses. Then, after the card game - it went right back to non-stop moving. I think they probably could have paced that a little better.
Second (and the really big problem I have with this movie) is that it was supposed to be a prequel. This would mean that this movie took place BEFORE the bazillion James Bond movies that have already been made, right? If that's the case then how did so much of what was going on in this movie rotate around cell phone usage and text messages? Better yet - how did Judi Dench as M look a hell of a lot older than she did in the many previous Bond movies she's been in? I had a really hard time wrapping my head around all the technological things that they used in this movie while trying to remind myself that this took place before all the other movies.
That being ranted about - I would recommend this movie to everyone. It was a really good action movie that you didn't overly have to think in order to enjoy.
Let me start off by saying that I really liked this movie. I'm nowhere near a James Bond buff, but I have liked some of them in the past and this one is one of the better recent ones. I thought that Daniel Craig was surprisingly good in the role of James Bond and the action at the start of the movie was the kind that makes you say "WHOA!" out loud. However, there were two problems I had with the movie.
One - it was too long and I think this was mostly because of the actual poker game that was being played. The movie was flying along up until that point and when they started playing cards it was like moving through molasses. Then, after the card game - it went right back to non-stop moving. I think they probably could have paced that a little better.
Second (and the really big problem I have with this movie) is that it was supposed to be a prequel. This would mean that this movie took place BEFORE the bazillion James Bond movies that have already been made, right? If that's the case then how did so much of what was going on in this movie rotate around cell phone usage and text messages? Better yet - how did Judi Dench as M look a hell of a lot older than she did in the many previous Bond movies she's been in? I had a really hard time wrapping my head around all the technological things that they used in this movie while trying to remind myself that this took place before all the other movies.
That being ranted about - I would recommend this movie to everyone. It was a really good action movie that you didn't overly have to think in order to enjoy.
The Return
The Return is a thriller starring Sarah Michelle Gellar as Joanna Mills, a woman determined to learn the truth behind the visions that have been haunting her. She sees and feels the brutal murder of a young woman she's never met, at the hands of a heartless killer. Joanna is guided by her nightmares to the murdered woman's hometown.
This movie was horrible. I'm usually an easy going critic and can find some good in almost any movie. I've got nothing on this bad boy. If it wasn't for WW wanting to find out how it ended, I would have been out of that theater 25 minutes in to it. It wasn't creepy like the Grudge movies. It wasn't gory like the Saw movies. It didn't even have any cheap thrills like cats jumping out of trees or someone being outside the car door all of a sudden. It tried to do one of those a-ha type endings that The Sixth Sense made popular but by the time you got there - I doubt that there was a single person in the theater that cared. It was almost as if you could see Sarah Michelle Gellar wondering why she didn't sign on for an expanded role in The Grudge 2 instead of this steaming pile of cow dung.
I would recommend this movie to nobody . . . . . . ever . . . . . . . . seriously . . . . . DON'T DO IT!
This movie was horrible. I'm usually an easy going critic and can find some good in almost any movie. I've got nothing on this bad boy. If it wasn't for WW wanting to find out how it ended, I would have been out of that theater 25 minutes in to it. It wasn't creepy like the Grudge movies. It wasn't gory like the Saw movies. It didn't even have any cheap thrills like cats jumping out of trees or someone being outside the car door all of a sudden. It tried to do one of those a-ha type endings that The Sixth Sense made popular but by the time you got there - I doubt that there was a single person in the theater that cared. It was almost as if you could see Sarah Michelle Gellar wondering why she didn't sign on for an expanded role in The Grudge 2 instead of this steaming pile of cow dung.
I would recommend this movie to nobody . . . . . . ever . . . . . . . . seriously . . . . . DON'T DO IT!
Stranger Than Fiction
Stranger Than Fiction is a quirky comedy about a novelist (Emma Thompson) struggling to complete her latest book. She has to find a way to kill off her main character, Harold Crick (Will Ferrell), and she'll be done. Little does she know that Harold Crick is a real person that is alive and well and suddenly aware of her words. Fiction and reality collide when the resistant Harold hears what she has in mind and realizes he must find a way to change the ending of her book . . . . and his life.
I usually go in to these types of movies a little bit skeptical of whether or not I'm going to like it. Any time that a movie this quirky/artsy opens up to a mainstream audience, Hollywood is taking a big chance that the crowd might walk out saying "what in the blue hell did I just sit through"? Movies like Lost In Translation, I Heart Huckabees, and Broken Flowers all made me do that. There was a part of me that realizes that from a film/acting/writing perspective those movies could have gotten 4 star reviews, but all of us down to earth movie goers spent money to be confused. NOT COOL!!!
Anywho, I digress because Stranger Than Fiction was NOT one of those movies. I really enjoyed this movie and thought that it was a perfect role for Will Ferrell as he tries as hard as possible to break out of the goofball comedy mode. In this one he got to still play the same kind of role but the writing and storyline made you take him seriously.
I was very pleasantly surprised and would recommend this movie for all.
I usually go in to these types of movies a little bit skeptical of whether or not I'm going to like it. Any time that a movie this quirky/artsy opens up to a mainstream audience, Hollywood is taking a big chance that the crowd might walk out saying "what in the blue hell did I just sit through"? Movies like Lost In Translation, I Heart Huckabees, and Broken Flowers all made me do that. There was a part of me that realizes that from a film/acting/writing perspective those movies could have gotten 4 star reviews, but all of us down to earth movie goers spent money to be confused. NOT COOL!!!
Anywho, I digress because Stranger Than Fiction was NOT one of those movies. I really enjoyed this movie and thought that it was a perfect role for Will Ferrell as he tries as hard as possible to break out of the goofball comedy mode. In this one he got to still play the same kind of role but the writing and storyline made you take him seriously.
I was very pleasantly surprised and would recommend this movie for all.
The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause
Tim Allen is back in his role of Scott Calvin - AKA Santa - in The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause. In this one, he is up against Jack Frost (Martin Short), who is trying to take over the holiday. At the same time, he has invited his in-laws to share in the holiday festivities, at the risk of revealing the location of the north pole, and upcoming birth of baby Claus because he wants his wife to feel less disconnected from her family.
As I mentioned in my review of Flushed Away, there are movies that I refer to as STVs (Straight To Video) and even though this isn't an animated movie, this is definitely one of them. Disney was basically just making this movie for the sake of getting an extra 100 million dollars out of the movie going public. There really is no reason to go see this in theaters unless you have a child that wants to see it and are okay with spending the money and time to take them. I didn't even leave the movie having that feel good Christmas feeling. My future stepdaughter wasn't even close to gushing about it on the way out. That speaks volumes, people!
Side note from my afianced movie going partner . . . . . we shall call her Wonder Woman . . . . . . . What is the deal with Christmas movies coming out the first weekend of November? Is this movie even going to be in theaters near Christmas? Is this movie even going to be in theaters come December? Why does Hollywood always release these holiday themed movies so early? I would think that a Thanksgiving release would do a little better, no?
Thanks for that rant, WW!! Regardless, I wouldn't really recommend anyone rushing to the theaters to see this one. Kids might like it, but even that isn't guaranteed. I would wait for next November to rent this one instead.
As I mentioned in my review of Flushed Away, there are movies that I refer to as STVs (Straight To Video) and even though this isn't an animated movie, this is definitely one of them. Disney was basically just making this movie for the sake of getting an extra 100 million dollars out of the movie going public. There really is no reason to go see this in theaters unless you have a child that wants to see it and are okay with spending the money and time to take them. I didn't even leave the movie having that feel good Christmas feeling. My future stepdaughter wasn't even close to gushing about it on the way out. That speaks volumes, people!
Side note from my afianced movie going partner . . . . . we shall call her Wonder Woman . . . . . . . What is the deal with Christmas movies coming out the first weekend of November? Is this movie even going to be in theaters near Christmas? Is this movie even going to be in theaters come December? Why does Hollywood always release these holiday themed movies so early? I would think that a Thanksgiving release would do a little better, no?
Thanks for that rant, WW!! Regardless, I wouldn't really recommend anyone rushing to the theaters to see this one. Kids might like it, but even that isn't guaranteed. I would wait for next November to rent this one instead.
Flushed Away
In this animated comedy, Roddy is a pet mouse who thinks he's got it made. But when a sewer rat named Sid comes up through the sink and decides it's his turn to enjoy the lap of luxury, Roddy schemes to rid himself of the pest by luring him into the toilet for a dip in the "whirlpool." Roddy's plan backfires when he inadvertently winds up being the one flushed away into the world down below. Underground, Roddy discovers a big city, where he meets Rita. If Roddy is going to get home, he and Rita will need to escape the clutches of Toad, who royally despises all rodents and has dispatched his crew of henchmen to see that Roddy and Rita are taken care of.
When seeing the animated movies of today - there are basically three categories. They are the "Shreks" (an animated movie that the parents enjoy just as much - if not more - as the kids), the "STVs" (an animated movie that the kids like, but the parents are forcing themselves to watch it for the kids and it would have been much better off just going Straight To Video so that you could buy it for the kids and never have to actually watch it), and the "Doogals" (an animated movie that makes both the parents and kids wish that they had something sharp to stab themselves in the eyes and ears to make the pain stop). Flushed Away is totally a "Shrek". Ironically, its from the same people that made Shrek - as well as Wallace & Gromit. The coolest part of the animation in this one was how it had the look of the claymation from Wallace & Gromit, but was computer animated. The voices were all very funny, especially Andy Serkis (aka - Gollum or King Kong) as the big henchman.
I would fully recommend this movie to all adults and children.
When seeing the animated movies of today - there are basically three categories. They are the "Shreks" (an animated movie that the parents enjoy just as much - if not more - as the kids), the "STVs" (an animated movie that the kids like, but the parents are forcing themselves to watch it for the kids and it would have been much better off just going Straight To Video so that you could buy it for the kids and never have to actually watch it), and the "Doogals" (an animated movie that makes both the parents and kids wish that they had something sharp to stab themselves in the eyes and ears to make the pain stop). Flushed Away is totally a "Shrek". Ironically, its from the same people that made Shrek - as well as Wallace & Gromit. The coolest part of the animation in this one was how it had the look of the claymation from Wallace & Gromit, but was computer animated. The voices were all very funny, especially Andy Serkis (aka - Gollum or King Kong) as the big henchman.
I would fully recommend this movie to all adults and children.
Borat
In Borat, Sacha Baron Cohen - star of HBO's Da Ali G Show, plays a Kazakhstani reporter. Borat travels from his home in Kazakhstan to the U.S. to make a documentary. He travels cross country in a series of mishaps and meets all sorts of different people.
As long as the sometimes offensive material (there is one scene in the movie that rivals only that of the puppet sex scene in Team America: World Police in terms of "oh my god - why am I watching this") doesn't get you all waa-waa, this is a very funny movie. If you haven't seen it and have heard over and over again how funny it is, it might not meet your sky high expectations, but there will still be plenty of laughs to go around. Words can do no justice to how hard I was laughing when he went to an etiquette dinner or how priceless it is when Borat meets up with a bunch of African Americans and asks them to teach him how to talk like them.
Besides being funny, the character of Borat is sure to put its stamp on American culture just like Austin Powers and Napolean Dynamite. I guarantee that people will be talking like him for years now and that one of the hottest Halloween costumes next year will be Borat.
I would recommend this movie to all adults and suggest that you admit just how over the top funny this movie is even if you are offended.
As long as the sometimes offensive material (there is one scene in the movie that rivals only that of the puppet sex scene in Team America: World Police in terms of "oh my god - why am I watching this") doesn't get you all waa-waa, this is a very funny movie. If you haven't seen it and have heard over and over again how funny it is, it might not meet your sky high expectations, but there will still be plenty of laughs to go around. Words can do no justice to how hard I was laughing when he went to an etiquette dinner or how priceless it is when Borat meets up with a bunch of African Americans and asks them to teach him how to talk like them.
Besides being funny, the character of Borat is sure to put its stamp on American culture just like Austin Powers and Napolean Dynamite. I guarantee that people will be talking like him for years now and that one of the hottest Halloween costumes next year will be Borat.
I would recommend this movie to all adults and suggest that you admit just how over the top funny this movie is even if you are offended.
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