Michael Jackson's This Is It

Michael Jackson's This Is It will offer Jackson fans and music lovers worldwide a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the performer as he developed, created and rehearsed for his sold-out concerts that would have taken place beginning this summer in London's O2 Arena. Chronicling the months from April through June, 2009, the film is produced with the full support of the Estate of Michael Jackson and drawn from more than one hundred hours of behind-the-scenes footage, featuring Jackson rehearsing a number of his songs for the show. Audiences will be given a privileged and private look at Jackson as he has never been seen before.

I have always been and will always be a huge Michael Jackson fan. As big of a freak as he became in his later years - he will always be one of - if not the number one - best entertainers of all time. That being said, I dreaded seeing this movie. I figured it would be the biggest sham and just a way for his estate to milk as much money out of the movie going public as possible. And that is exactly what it is. In terms of movies or documentaries or concerts - this is horrible. Its all rehearsal footage so Michael only gets in to the performances or parts of them featured in the movie to a certain extent. The scenes in between the songs show both the musical genius that was Michael Jackson and the nutjob that he had unfortunately become. There were times where I think they put in footage that just made him seem silly and nonsensical with his inability to function properly. All of that being said - I still managed to enjoy this movie. I bopped in my seat and I sang along. I think that if these concerts were to have taken place, they probably would have been the greatest shows ever put on. The crowd that was in the theater I saw it in was dead though. That was unfortunate. If you could see this movie in a full crowd of real Michael Jackson fans instead of a bunch of lumps watching a movie (which again - this is not!), this would probably be a really good time.

I would only recommend this movie to the die hard Michael Jackson fans. Even then, please be warned that its just a mix and match of rehearsals. The concerts never sadly took place so there is no culminating scene.

Capitalism: A Love Story

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

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

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

The Stepfather

Michael Harding (Penn Badgley) returns home from military school to find his mother (Sela Ward) happily in love and living with her new boyfriend, David (Dylan Walsh). As the two men get to know each other, Michael becomes more and more suspicious of the man who is always there with a helpful hand. Is he really the man of her dreams or could David be hiding a dark side?

Yet another movie this month that is just kind of there. This might really be one of the most boring "thrillers" of all time. At no point was I scared, thrilled, or actually interested in what was going on. You knew everything that was going to happen a good 20 minutes before it did. Who am I kidding? You knew everything that was going to happen before you even sat down in the theater.

I wouldn't recommend this movie to anyone. Its really boring and is a total waste of your time.

Saw VI

Special Agent Strahm is dead, and Detective Hoffman has emerged as the unchallenged successor to Jigsaw's legacy. However, when the FBI draws closer to Hoffman, he is forced to set a game into motion, and Jigsaw's grand scheme is finally understood.


Why are they still making these movies? Why am I still watching them? I like the first three of this series. I cared about the pretty clever story line. However, the story line has now become so convoluted that they have to keep showing you flashbacks to random scenes in the first 5 movies in the franchise to refresh your memory. And even though they are showing you the flashback - I still don't remember it ever happening much less mattering. I mean someone is really writing parts in to Saw VI based on a random scene from Saw III from three years ago!?! That's just plain silly. And don't even get me started on how Jigsaw has now been dead for three movies. Would we still be watching Friday the 13th movies if Jason wasn't in them? Seriously! This franchise really needs to be put down.


I wouldn't recommend anyone checking this out. Avoiding this really is the only way to stop them from churning them out year after year.

Astro Boy

Set in futuristic Metro City, Astro Boy is about a young robot with incredible powers created by a brilliant scientist named Dr. Tenma (Nicolas Cage). Powered by positive "blue" energy, Astro Boy (Freddie Highmore) is endowed with super strength, x-ray vision, unbelievable speed and the ability to fly. Embarking on a journey in search of acceptance, Astro Boy encounters many other colorful characters along the way. Through his adventures, he learns the joys and emotions of being human, and gains the strength to embrace his destiny. Ultimately learning his friends and family are in danger, Astro Boy marshals his awesome super powers and returns to Metro City in a valiant effort to save everything he cares about and to understand what it means to be a hero.

This movie is a decent watch. Not much more than that though. The animation pales in comparison to other recent fare. The story line of robot vs. human is interesting but would probably not make as much sense to the children as the adults. This might make this movie a bit of a tough sell for those of you just trying to take your kids to the theater for a couple of hours. The voices are good and the action is pretty decent, but for the most part this movie is just sort of average at best.

I wouldn't really recommend people checking this out unless you really have nothing to do and have some extra money/time to spare. Its not horrible. Its just kind of there though. You can go ahead and wait for rental on this one.

Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant

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

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

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

Law Abiding Citizen

Clyde Shelton (Gerard Butler) is an upstanding family man whose wife and daughter are brutally murdered during a home invasion. When the killers are caught, Nick Rice (Jamie Foxx), a hotshot young Philadelphia prosecutor, is assigned to the case. Over his objections, Nick is forced by his boss to offer one of the suspects a light sentence in exchange for testifying against his accomplice.Fast forward ten years. The man who got away with murder is found dead and Clyde Shelton coolly admits his guilt. Then he issues a warning to Nick: Either fix the flawed justice system that failed his family, or key players in the trial will die.Soon Shelton follows through on his threats, orchestrating from his jail cell a string of spectacularly diabolical assassinations that can be neither predicted nor prevented. Philadelphia is gripped with fear as Shelton's high-profile targets are slain one after another and the authorities are powerless to halt his reign of terror. Only Nick can stop the killing, and to do so he must outwit this brilliant sociopath in a harrowing contest of wills in which even the smallest misstep means death. With his own family now in Shelton's crosshairs, Nick finds himself in a desperate race against time facing a deadly adversary who seems always to be one step ahead.

This movie is beyond formula. You have essentially seen the movie just by watching the commercial. It is also filled with every possible cliche. Putting all of that aside, its still a decently enjoyable watch. As farfetched as Gerard Butler's character plannings are - I know that I would do everything in my means to get someone if they did anything to my WW or Stinka. As long as you can leave your brain at the door and enjoy that adrenaline part of this movie, its fun to watch.

I'd somewhat recommend people checking this out. Its not a must see by any means, but is not a total waste of your time.

Where The Wild Things Are

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

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

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

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.

The Boys Are Back

In the adaptation of Simon Carr's serio-comic novel "The Boys Are Back in Town," Owen plays a widower struggling to raise his two sons.

This movie is just kind of there. Its not necessarily bad. Its not too good. Its just there. I wasn't really hooked by either the story or the characters. Its a blatant heartstrings movie. The wife gets sick and passes away and the dad now has to raise his sons while having no prior practice at this because all he used to do is work. He adopts this "just say yes" philosophy which is actually pretty enjoyable at first, but that wears out pretty fast.

I wouldn't really recommend that anyone rush to check this out. Honestly, you probably don't have a choice anyhow seeing as how the movie is barely released in theaters. I'd just wait for this to be on cable and watch it in passing.

Couples Retreat

Vince Vaughn, Jason Bateman, Jon Favreau, Malin Akerman, Kristin Davis, Kristen Bell and Faizon Love star in Universal Pictures' upcoming comedy "Couples Retreat." Based on an original idea of Vaughn's, the comedy follows four Midwestern couples who embark on a journey to a tropical island resort. While one of the couples is there to work on their marriage, the other three set out to jet ski, spa and enjoy some fun in the sun. They soon discover that participation in the resort’s couples therapy is not optional. Suddenly, their group-rate vacation comes at a price. What follows is a hilarious look at real world problems faced by all couples.

I am a huge fan of Vince Vaughn's ranting. It just doesn't get old for me. I'm also a big fan of Jason Bateman and Jon Favreau. The parts of this movie where they were all playing off of each other were hilarious. Unfortunately, as the movie treaded on they started to keep these guys interactions too controlled and it took away from the enjoyment of the movie as a whole. The couples are all realistic and you do somewhat enjoy seeing them figure things out, but the laughs that were plentiful at the start dissipate way too much as the movie progresses.

I would still say its a go to check this one out. Its a great date movie and the laughs are good. Just keep your expectations in check that they won't be there the whole movie.

The Invention Of Lying

From Ricky Gervais comes the new romantic comedy The Invention of Lying, which takes place in an alternate reality where lying--even the concept of a lie--does not exist. Everyone--from politicians to advertisers to the man and woman on the street--speaks the truth and nothing but the truth with no thought of the consequences. But when a down-on-his-luck loser named Mark suddenly develops the ability to lie, he finds that dishonesty has its rewards. In a world where every word is assumed to be the absolute truth, Mark easily lies his way to fame and fortune. But lies have a way of spreading, and Mark begins to realize that things are getting a little out of control when some of his tallest tales are being taken as, well, gospel. With the entire world now hanging on his every word, there is only one thing Mark has not been able to lie his way into: the heart of the woman he loves.

This movie started out awesome. Watching everyone tell the truth as blunt as possible had me laughing my a$$ off. Unfortunately, it didn't last long enough. The movie was still great when Ricky Gervais realized the power of lying. Lots of huge laughs. Unfortunately, it didn't last long enough. Then the movie tailed in to a blah drama about Ricky Gervais becoming a prophet who is pining for Jennifer Garner's unbiased love. Unfortunately, this part of the movie lasted too long. Its really unfortunate that this movie kind of ended up falling flat because it started brilliantly. I think they could have either shaved 20-30 minutes off and made it much better or they could have expanded the truth telling and discovery of lying parts while cutting down the drama stuff that didn't really work and this movie would have been awesome.

I would lukewarmly recommend that people check this movie out. The first half of the movie is the same comedic brilliance that you've come to expect from Ricky Gervais but the movie doesn't end nearly as good as it starts.

The Informant!

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

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

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

Whip It

Whip It stars Ellen Page as Bliss, a rebellious Texas teen who throws in her small town beauty pageant crown for the rowdy world of roller derby. Marcia Gay Harden plays Bliss' disapproving mother, while Kristen Wiig and Juliette Lewis play roller-derby stars.

I never imagined that I would enjoy this movie as much as I did. It was just plain fun. The movie is beyond formula and cliche in every way, but I was hooked by the characters. This movie was just plain fun and when you take in to account that it was directed by Drew Barrymore it made the movie that much better. She deserves credit for directing a fun and down to earth movie with good characters and an underdog story that sucks you in.

Again - I never thought I would say this - but I strongly recommend that people check this bad boy out. It really is a lot of fun.

Zombieland

Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) has made a habit of running from what scares him. Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) doesn't have fears. If he did, he'd kick their ever-living ass. In a world overrun by zombies, these two are perfectly evolved survivors. But now, they're about to stare down the most terrifying prospect of all: each other.

This movie was fun. Its exactly what is advertised. Its a zombie movie with laughs. Sure that sounds pretty demented, but it was a lot of fun even with the nasty gore. The characters were very enjoyable, especially Columbus. His narration was very well written and delivered. The movie is also super short. Always a huge bonus for me. I don't want to give anything away to anyone interested in seeing this, but I must say that the part of the movie featuring Bill Murray was hysterical.

I would definitely recommend people checking this out. It is ultimately a zombie movie so if you aren't in to that - you should definitely pass on it. But if you like those kind of movies - this one is great and very, very funny.