Fifty years from now, the sun is dying, and mankind is dying with it. Our last hope: a spaceship and a crew of eight men and women. They carry a device which will breathe new life into the star. But deep into their voyage, out of radio contact with Earth, their mission is starting to unravel. There is an accident, a fatal mistake, and a distress beacon from a spaceship that disappeared seven years earlier. Soon the crew is fighting not only for their lives, but their sanity.
This movie deserves a recommendation simply because it followed the very tough rule of all science fiction movies. A truly good science fiction movie has to make you forget that you are watching a movie and somewhere in your brain believe that what you are watching could somehow be true or possible one day. This movie pulls this off right off the bat. The cast was good and the overall look of the movie was awesome. The only knock I would make against this movie is that when a raving loony bad guy gets introduced later on during the movie - its never very clear what the deal is with him. Literally. Every time he is on screen the camera shakes violently. It was almost as if they didn't have enough money left in the budget to do the makeup so they shook the camera whenever it was on him to try and make him seem scarier. I just found it kind of annoying. Besides that though this was actually a really well done movie and science fiction is the toughest genre of film to pull off by far.
I would recommend this movie to anyone in to sci-fi. Unfortunately, its not really playing at too many theaters so you might have to wait for rental.
Do you hate that feeling of not knowing whether or not you should go and check out a movie? Let me help you decide.
No Reservations
Master chef Kate Armstrong (Catherine Zeta-Jones) lives her life like she runs her kitchen at a trendy Manhattan eatery—with a no-nonsense intensity that both captivates and intimidates everyone around her. Kate's perfectionist nature is put to the test when she "inherits" her nine-year-old niece Zoe (Abigail Breslin), while contending with a brash new sous-chef who joins her staff. High-spirited and freewheeling, Nick Palmer (Aaron Eckhart) couldn't be more different from Kate, yet the chemistry between them is undeniable. Rivalry becomes romance, but Kate will have to learn to express herself beyond the realm of her kitchen if she wants to connect with Zoe and find true happiness with Nick.
This is one of those movies that is just kind of . . . . . . there. It wasn't bad. It wasn't awesome. It was watchable, but not a must see. This is one of those prototype date movies. Uptight cook inherits her niece after her sister dies and at the same time has to deal with outgoing new chef at her restaurant. You can probably predict the entire movie just from that one sentence. Regardless of how completely formula the movie is - it is enjoyable if you have the time to check it out. It's cute with some big laughs and some big heartstring pulls as well.
I'd recommend people seeing this if they were interested in the preview. I wouldn't recommend anyone rushing out to see this, but it is by no means a horrible watch.
The Simpsons Movie
In the eagerly-awaited film based on the hit television series, Homer must save the world from a catastrophe he himself created. It all begins with Homer, his new pet pig, and a leaky silo full of droppings - a combination that triggers a disaster the likes of which Springfield has never experienced. As Marge is outraged by Homer's monumental blunder, a vengeful mob descends on the Simpson household. The family makes a narrow escape, but is soon divided by both location and conflict. The Springfield citizenry has every reason to be out for Simpson blood. The calamity triggered by Homer has drawn the attention of U.S. President Arnold Schwarzenegger (voiced by Harry Shearer) and Environmental Protection Agency head Russ Cargill (voiced by Albert Brooks). He comes up with a plan to contain the disaster. As the fates of Springfield and the world hang in the balance, Homer embarks on a personal odyssey of redemption - seeking forgiveness from Marge, the reunion of his splintered family, and the salvation of his hometown.
This movie was hysterical. I have been a huge fan of the show for more than half of my life and knew that I would love this one going it. Its basically like a month long arc of the show. They don't try to overdo it at all which I was very afraid would happen. They stayed completely true to the show's form and it was beyond entertaining. Parents beware taking your kids though. Since they are on the big screen, they do push the envelope a little bit much for younger ones. There is a drug scene, Homer giving the middle finger and brief frontal nudity of Bart while skateboarding. Ye hath been warned.
Regardless, I totally loved this movie and wholeheartedly recommend this movie to everyone. Fans of the show will love it and even those that aren't will love it as well . . . . . even if you don't want to admit it.
This movie was hysterical. I have been a huge fan of the show for more than half of my life and knew that I would love this one going it. Its basically like a month long arc of the show. They don't try to overdo it at all which I was very afraid would happen. They stayed completely true to the show's form and it was beyond entertaining. Parents beware taking your kids though. Since they are on the big screen, they do push the envelope a little bit much for younger ones. There is a drug scene, Homer giving the middle finger and brief frontal nudity of Bart while skateboarding. Ye hath been warned.
Regardless, I totally loved this movie and wholeheartedly recommend this movie to everyone. Fans of the show will love it and even those that aren't will love it as well . . . . . even if you don't want to admit it.
I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry
Adam Sandler and Kevin James team as two straight guys who stumble down the aisle with the best of intentions in I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry. Chuck Ford (Sandler) and Larry Allensworth (James) are the pride of their fire station: two guy's guys always side-by-side and willing to do anything for each other. Salt-of-the-earth widower Larry wants just one thing: to protect his family. His buddy Chuck also wants one thing: to enjoy the single life. Grateful Chuck owes Larry for saving his life in a fire, and Larry calls in that favor big time when civic red tape prevents him from naming his own two kids as his life insurance beneficiaries. All that Chuck has to do is claim to be Larry's domestic partner on some city forms. Easy. Nobody will ever know. But when an overzealous, spot-checking bureaucrat becomes suspicious, the new couple's arrangement becomes a citywide issue and goes from confidential to front-page news. Forced to improvise as love-struck newlyweds, Chuck and Larry must now fumble through a hilarious charade of domestic bliss under one roof. After surviving their mandatory honeymoon and dodging the threat of exposure, the well-intentioned con men discover that sticking together in your time of need is what truly makes a family.
I couldn't possibly be a bigger fan of Kevin James. I have always loved his stand up stuff and watch King Of Queens religiously in syndication numerous times a day. I couldn't wait to see this movie. Unfortunately, I think I let myself get a little bit too excited. The movie was good and nowhere near horrible, but I expected it to be a lot funnier than it was. The movie was basically one of those that pushes every possible cliche and pushes them as far as humanly possible and gets away from being funny anymore about half way through the movie. Kevin James is his usual hysterical self and the kid that plays his son in the movie was classic. Adam Sandler actually seemed to be the thing holding this movie back. He came across as funny only when he was playing off of someone else and when he wasn't with someone else funny - those scenes came across as very flat.
I would casually recommend this movie to anyone looking for some cheap laughs. Its not a must see by any means but its not horrible either.
I couldn't possibly be a bigger fan of Kevin James. I have always loved his stand up stuff and watch King Of Queens religiously in syndication numerous times a day. I couldn't wait to see this movie. Unfortunately, I think I let myself get a little bit too excited. The movie was good and nowhere near horrible, but I expected it to be a lot funnier than it was. The movie was basically one of those that pushes every possible cliche and pushes them as far as humanly possible and gets away from being funny anymore about half way through the movie. Kevin James is his usual hysterical self and the kid that plays his son in the movie was classic. Adam Sandler actually seemed to be the thing holding this movie back. He came across as funny only when he was playing off of someone else and when he wasn't with someone else funny - those scenes came across as very flat.
I would casually recommend this movie to anyone looking for some cheap laughs. Its not a must see by any means but its not horrible either.
Hairspray
Sixteen years after the release of the original film, New Line Cinema is bringing a feature film adaptation of the Tony award-winning Broadway production Hairspray to life. Featuring new and original material based on John Waters' 1988 cult classic about star-struck teenagers on a local Baltimore dance show, the comedy features a remarkable collection of talent including John Travolta, Queen Latifah, Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken, Amanda Bynes, Allison Janney, Brittany Snow, Zac Efron, Elijah Kelley.
The future stepdaughter couldn't wait to see this movie. She kept asking about it for months. I like to think of it as the High School Musical effect. Musicals have come back with a vengeance and the s.o.b.s decided to target young girls. I'd be a big fat liar if I tried to tell you that I didn't know all the songs from High School Musical. All of that being said - I was reluctant to say the least about going to see this movie because it looked so fluffy in the commercial and I couldn't remotely comprehend John Travolta's decision to play the role of a fat woman. However, the music and feel good vibe of the movie made it actually quite enjoyable. I am not afraid to admit that I was dancing in my chair at various points of the movie. And the bottom line is whether or not the wonderous future steppie liked it and she most absolutely did. The one thing that really does bother me about the movie is . . . . . . . who in the blue hell thought that John Travolta playing Edna Turnblatt was a good idea!?!
Even with the aforementioned worst casting ever - I strongly recommend this movie to everyone. It's a feel good movie that will have you leaving the theater with a smile on your face . . . . . even though Travolta plays a big fat woman.
The future stepdaughter couldn't wait to see this movie. She kept asking about it for months. I like to think of it as the High School Musical effect. Musicals have come back with a vengeance and the s.o.b.s decided to target young girls. I'd be a big fat liar if I tried to tell you that I didn't know all the songs from High School Musical. All of that being said - I was reluctant to say the least about going to see this movie because it looked so fluffy in the commercial and I couldn't remotely comprehend John Travolta's decision to play the role of a fat woman. However, the music and feel good vibe of the movie made it actually quite enjoyable. I am not afraid to admit that I was dancing in my chair at various points of the movie. And the bottom line is whether or not the wonderous future steppie liked it and she most absolutely did. The one thing that really does bother me about the movie is . . . . . . . who in the blue hell thought that John Travolta playing Edna Turnblatt was a good idea!?!
Even with the aforementioned worst casting ever - I strongly recommend this movie to everyone. It's a feel good movie that will have you leaving the theater with a smile on your face . . . . . even though Travolta plays a big fat woman.
Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix
In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry returns for his fifth year of study at Hogwarts and discovers that much of the wizarding community has been denied the truth about the teenager's recent encounter with the evil Lord Voldemort. Fearing that Hogwarts' venerable Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, is lying about Voldemort's return in order to undermine his power and take his job, the Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, appoints a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher to keep watch over Dumbledore and the Hogwarts students. But Professor Dolores Umbridge's Ministry-approved course of defensive magic leaves the young wizards woefully unprepared to defend themselves against the dark forces threatening them and the entire wizarding community, so at the prompting of his friends Hermione and Ron, Harry takes matters into his own hands. Meeting secretly with a small group of students who name themselves "Dumbledore's Army," Harry teaches them how to defend themselves against the Dark Arts, preparing the courageous young wizards for the extraordinary battle that lies ahead.
I had read a couple of reviews before going to see this and they all kept saying that anyone who hadn't read the Harry Potter books or seen the movies wouldn't really like this movie. Seriously? Who in the blue hell decides to start with Harry Potter by randomly seeing the FIFTH movie!?! Anyone who does that deserves not to get what is going on. However, after having seen the movie - I think I can identify a little bit more with those reviews because even for those of you that have read the books and seen the movies, you would think that you had missed the first twenty minutes of the movie if you showed up twenty seconds late. This is due to the fact that this Harry Potter hits the ground running. Unlike the previous four movies, there is no slow build up. The movie starts pretty much right where Goblet Of Fire left off and this movie is all about the main storyline. There wasn't any time wasted on subplots and what not. While some of the die hard fans might be mad that it left out chunks of the book, I loved it. There were NO dead spots at all and the bottom line is that this book (as well as the sixth book) were much different than the previous four. The previous four books each had more of a stand alone story to it with Goblet Of Fire ending with the return of Voldemort. To make more sense in a Star Wars parallel, books 1 - 4 were like Star Wars and books 5 - 6 are like The Empire Strikes Back. This movie definitely had that feel that you were watching part of a whole instead of a seperate movie. Regardless - I thought that the movie was well done and was kind of glad that there weren't the useless 40 minutes of fluff that were in the other Harry Potter movies. This movie franchise also deserves major kudos for still being amazing five movies in. What other franchise has ever done that?
I very strongly recommend that everyone check this out. Even if you haven't entered the world of Harry Potter by now - go watch the other four and check this one out asap, people!
I had read a couple of reviews before going to see this and they all kept saying that anyone who hadn't read the Harry Potter books or seen the movies wouldn't really like this movie. Seriously? Who in the blue hell decides to start with Harry Potter by randomly seeing the FIFTH movie!?! Anyone who does that deserves not to get what is going on. However, after having seen the movie - I think I can identify a little bit more with those reviews because even for those of you that have read the books and seen the movies, you would think that you had missed the first twenty minutes of the movie if you showed up twenty seconds late. This is due to the fact that this Harry Potter hits the ground running. Unlike the previous four movies, there is no slow build up. The movie starts pretty much right where Goblet Of Fire left off and this movie is all about the main storyline. There wasn't any time wasted on subplots and what not. While some of the die hard fans might be mad that it left out chunks of the book, I loved it. There were NO dead spots at all and the bottom line is that this book (as well as the sixth book) were much different than the previous four. The previous four books each had more of a stand alone story to it with Goblet Of Fire ending with the return of Voldemort. To make more sense in a Star Wars parallel, books 1 - 4 were like Star Wars and books 5 - 6 are like The Empire Strikes Back. This movie definitely had that feel that you were watching part of a whole instead of a seperate movie. Regardless - I thought that the movie was well done and was kind of glad that there weren't the useless 40 minutes of fluff that were in the other Harry Potter movies. This movie franchise also deserves major kudos for still being amazing five movies in. What other franchise has ever done that?
I very strongly recommend that everyone check this out. Even if you haven't entered the world of Harry Potter by now - go watch the other four and check this one out asap, people!
License To Wed
License to Wed follows newly engaged Ben Murphy (John Krasinski) and his fiancée, Sadie Jones (Mandy Moore), in their quest to live happily ever after. The problem is that Sadie's family church, St. Augustine's, is run by Reverend Frank (Robin Williams), who won't bless Ben and Sadie's union until they pass his patented, "foolproof" marriage-prep course. Consisting of outrageous classes, outlandish homework assignments and some outright invasion of privacy, Reverend Frank's rigorous curriculum puts Ben and Sadie's relationship to the test. Forget happily ever after—do they even have what it takes to make it to the altar?
This was a cutesy date movie with some pretty good laughs. It's also totally predictable and one of those if you see the commercial - you see the movie type films. Robin Williams is his usual funny one liner type self, but the guy that really makes this movie for me is John Krasinski. Krasinski is best know for his role of Jim on The Office. People, if you are not watching this show on a weekly basis - you truly are missing out on the funniest thing on television. Back to the movie . . . . . he brings the same facial humor from The Office to this film and it really cracks me up. Half of the big laughs were based on the look on his face as he reacts to things. The man is a budding physical comedy genius.
I would recommend people checking this one out. It's not a must see by any means, but it's worth seeing if you want to.
This was a cutesy date movie with some pretty good laughs. It's also totally predictable and one of those if you see the commercial - you see the movie type films. Robin Williams is his usual funny one liner type self, but the guy that really makes this movie for me is John Krasinski. Krasinski is best know for his role of Jim on The Office. People, if you are not watching this show on a weekly basis - you truly are missing out on the funniest thing on television. Back to the movie . . . . . he brings the same facial humor from The Office to this film and it really cracks me up. Half of the big laughs were based on the look on his face as he reacts to things. The man is a budding physical comedy genius.
I would recommend people checking this one out. It's not a must see by any means, but it's worth seeing if you want to.
Transformers
Our world will be transformed on July 3 when aliens make Earth their final battleground in Transformers. As the forces of evil seek the key to ultimate power, our last chance for survival rests in the hands of young Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf).
THIS MOVIE ROCKED!!! Every once and a while a movie comes along that is an "event" movie. By this I mean that you will always remember seeing the movie in theaters and you, as well as everyone else in the theater, are completely awestruck at what you are all experiencing together. My opinion of event movies are Star Wars (the original trilogy), E.T., Jurassic Park and Independence Day. Transformers is right up there with them. I absolutely loved this movie from the second it started. I was skeptical to say the least when I heard that they were making this. I figured it would be the biggest flop of the year due to the massive hype and what not. I started to get a little geeked out for the last two weeks as I started to see the characters that I had toys of when I was younger though, but tried not to get too excited. However, I got that child like buzz feeling when we sat in the theater and it never stopped until the credits were on at the end. The action scenes and special effects were beyond amazing. The characters, both the robots and the humans, were so well developed that you found yourself caring about every one of them. Shia LeBeouf is so the next big thing. I mean this guy is going to be the next Will Smith. The kid simply has "it". On top of all this good stuff - Transformers was also by far and away the funniest movie I've seen all year. The one liners and banter back and forth between certain characters and robots was priceless. I'm going to simply call it now and say that this movie will be the best movie that comes out in 2007. The only knock that I will throw out there is that it's kind of too violent and scary at times for little ones, but ages 7/8 and up should be fine.
I couldn't possibly recommend this movie more if I tried. It's one of those movies that will stick with me forever and truly needs to be seen on the big screen, people. If you see one movie this year - make this be the one.
THIS MOVIE ROCKED!!! Every once and a while a movie comes along that is an "event" movie. By this I mean that you will always remember seeing the movie in theaters and you, as well as everyone else in the theater, are completely awestruck at what you are all experiencing together. My opinion of event movies are Star Wars (the original trilogy), E.T., Jurassic Park and Independence Day. Transformers is right up there with them. I absolutely loved this movie from the second it started. I was skeptical to say the least when I heard that they were making this. I figured it would be the biggest flop of the year due to the massive hype and what not. I started to get a little geeked out for the last two weeks as I started to see the characters that I had toys of when I was younger though, but tried not to get too excited. However, I got that child like buzz feeling when we sat in the theater and it never stopped until the credits were on at the end. The action scenes and special effects were beyond amazing. The characters, both the robots and the humans, were so well developed that you found yourself caring about every one of them. Shia LeBeouf is so the next big thing. I mean this guy is going to be the next Will Smith. The kid simply has "it". On top of all this good stuff - Transformers was also by far and away the funniest movie I've seen all year. The one liners and banter back and forth between certain characters and robots was priceless. I'm going to simply call it now and say that this movie will be the best movie that comes out in 2007. The only knock that I will throw out there is that it's kind of too violent and scary at times for little ones, but ages 7/8 and up should be fine.
I couldn't possibly recommend this movie more if I tried. It's one of those movies that will stick with me forever and truly needs to be seen on the big screen, people. If you see one movie this year - make this be the one.