Transformers: Dark Of The Moon




  • Shia LaBeouf returns as Sam Witwicky in Transformers: Dark of the Moon. When a mysterious event from Earth's past erupts into the present day it threatens to bring a war to Earth so big that the Transformers alone will not be able to save us.

  • I know that sequels for the most part are never as good as the original. But do they have to be this crappy? The first Transformers is one of my favorite movies. It felt like an event movie. The effects were great. The story was cool. They had the perfect amounts of comedy/sarcasm and side characters - including the Transformers themselves. Shia LaBeouf was on track to become Will Smith/Tom Hanks-ish. The second one was too much . . . . . of everything. Too much Megan Fox. Too much of the slapstick comedy and side characters. Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too many robots. Too much story crammed in there. Shia was still good though. So they got rid of Megan Fox. Thank God. They limited the side characters. Thanks again. The story was actually really strong and they even factored it in to past American history. Thank you. All in all - this one was definitely a better movie than the second one. HOWEVER . . . . . . that is pretty much the only good thing that can be said about this movie. No. I'm sorry. There are two more things. Shia is still great. I really love this kid. His delivery of sarcasm and comedic fear are awesome. And for once, I have to admit that the 3D effects mattered. Normally, I'm just annoyed to be wearing the glasses and don't care at all about the effects. This movie definitely made it worth having to wear the glasses. That being said - the bad . . . . . They replaced Megan Fox with some random model who - I never thought I would say this - was worse than her. The movie was like seven years long. I went to a 7pm showing and felt like it was 3am when it was over. The action was still way too much. The ending of the movie with the crazy destruction of Chicago was insane. It was just non-stop and became annoying overall.

  • Would I recommend this movie? No. Hell no. I wish that they could go back in time and not make this one or the second one and leave Transformers as a stand alone movie with all of its awesomeness intact. Sequels like this ruin the original. It's like the Star Wars prequel dampening Star Wars or that Crystal Skull garbage tainting Indiana Jones. Just stop already.

Bad Teacher




  • Some teachers just don't give an F. For example, there's Elizabeth (Cameron Diaz). She's foul-mouthed, ruthless, and inappropriate. She drinks, she gets high, and she can't wait to marry her meal ticket and get out of her bogus day job. When she's dumped by her fiancĂ©, she sets her plan in motion to win over a rich, handsome substitute (Justin Timberlake) – competing for his affections with an overly energetic colleague, Amy (Lucy Punch). When Elizabeth also finds herself fighting off the advances of a sarcastic, irreverent gym teacher (Jason Segel), the consequences of her wild and outrageous schemes give her students, her coworkers, and even herself an education like no other.

  • I enjoyed this movie alot. The bluntness of Cameron Diaz was hilarious. And I am a huge fan of Jason Segel. The one that really stole the movie though was Lucy Punch. I only know her name because it's listed in the synopsis above. I know her as the crazy girl from Dinner For Schmucks. She pretty much plays the same character in this one and I couldn't help but laugh at how over the top she was and it played very well off of Jason Segel and Cameron Diaz's straight faced characters. The movie still could have been funnier though and Justin Timberlake was kind of wasted in this. They definitely could have tweaked his character for bigger laughs. The other two actors (Phyllis from The Office and the camp director from Fired Up) provided a ton of laughs too. The only knock I would really make against this movie is that they should have decided to either make the movie a straight up R comedy or a walking the line PG-13 movie. It was rated R but pulled up on a lot of the jokes. If they would have really committed one way or the other, this movie could have been even funnier.

  • I would definitely recommend this movie for people looking for some laughs.

Cars 2




  • Star racecar Lightning McQueen (voice of Owen Wilson) and the incomparable tow truck Mater (voice of Larry the Cable Guy) take their friendship to exciting new places in "Cars 2" when they head overseas to compete in the first-ever World Grand Prix to determine the world's fastest car. But the road to the championship is filled with plenty of potholes, detours and hilarious surprises when Mater gets caught up in an intriguing adventure of his own: international espionage. Torn between assisting Lightning McQueen in the high-profile race and towing the line in a top-secret spy mission, Mater’s action-packed journey leads him on an explosive chase through the streets of Japan and Europe, trailed by his friends and watched by the whole world. Adding to the fast-paced fun is a colorful new all-car cast that includes secret agents, menacing villains and international racing competitors.

  • This is yet another one of those movies that your feelings about it will be dependent on how you are watching it. If you are watching it excited for another Pixar movie than it is garbage. Pixar movies have always landed in my Top Ten movies of the year and in most cases have been worthy of Best Picture consideration. They are well written with amazing messages and are often just as enjoyable (if not more) for the adults as they are for the kids. This movie had none of that. I felt like I was watching a Saturday morning cartoon or a 2 hour ad campaign for a bunch of cool new playsets available at a toy store near you. This is essentially Pixar's first mailing it in movie. This was simply put out there to make alot of money. The creativity that is usually their trademark simply wasn't there. Even the short before the movie - Toy Story Hawaiin Vacation - was mailing it in. Don't get me wrong. I loved it, but the shorts are usually creative and artistic and this one was just more marketing. All of that being said - the movie is watchable . . . . . . . as long as you accept that this is not the normal annual Pixar entry that I've grown accustomed to seeing. This one is pretty much just a James Bond movie with the characters from Cars in it.

  • I would recommend people seeing it as long as they have read this and are aware to put a different kind of glasses on when watching it. As a kids movie - watchable. As a Pixar entry - saddened greatly. It's easily the bottom of their list to date.

Green Lantern




  • In a universe as vast as it is mysterious, a small but powerful force has existed for centuries. Protectors of peace and justice, they are called the Green Lantern Corps. A brotherhood of warriors sworn to keep intergalactic order, each Green Lantern wears a ring that grants him superpowers. But when a new enemy called Parallax threatens to destroy the balance of power in the Universe, their fate and the fate of Earth lie in the hands of their newest recruit, the first human ever selected: Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds). Hal is a gifted and cocky test pilot, but the Green Lanterns have little respect for humans, who have never harnessed the infinite powers of the ring before. But Hal is clearly the missing piece to the puzzle, and along with his determination and willpower, he has one thing no member of the Corps has ever had: humanity. With the encouragement of fellow pilot and childhood sweetheart Carol Ferris (Blake Lively), if Hal can quickly master his new powers and find the courage to overcome his fears, he may prove to be not only the key to defeating Parallax...he will become the greatest Green Lantern of all.

  • This is a tough one to review because it really depends on how you are looking at the movie. It's a dictionary definition of expectations deciding how you feel about the movie. I went in to it expecting at best a Fantastic Four type of feeling and I actually ended up liking it more than that movie. Again - it's how you are looking at it. If you are looking at this movie in the same light of amazing all around movies that the comic book genre has been raised to recently with The Dark Knight, Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Spider Man 1 & 2, X-Men and X-Men: First Class - then the Green Lantern is fluffy crap. If you are looking at this movie as a starting tentpole to a Justice League Of America (DC's version of The Avengers) - then you will be disappointed. It's just not of that kind of quality. If you are looking at it as a cartoonish super hero movie - it is a fun and enjoyable watch. I went in to it expecting it to fail even that and was pleasantly surprised.

  • I would recommend people checking it out . . . . . . as long as you have the same expectation level that I had. You should be able to enjoy it then. Don't expect more than that though.

Mr. Popper's Penguins




  • In this family comedy, Jim Carrey is Mr. Popper, a driven businessman who is clueless when it comes to the important things in life – until he inherits six penguins. Popper's penguins turn his swank New York apartment into a snowy winter wonderland – and the rest of his life upside-down.

  • This movie is formula in every way. If you have seen the trailer, you have pretty much seen the movie. It pulls on every heartstring it possibly can. That being said - it's still an enjoyable family comedy. There are laughs. Not the usual amount associated with Jim Carrey, but they are definitely there. The penguins are cute as is the father trying to connect with his kids and dealing with his own daddy issues. It really is a movie for kids or families.

  • I would recommend those that fit the above bill check this movie out. It's not a horrible watch but it's definitely family geared as opposed to straight up comedy.

Super 8




  • In the summer of 1979, a group of friends in a small Ohio town witness a catastrophic train crash while making a super 8 movie and soon suspect that it was not an accident. Shortly after, unusual disappearances and inexplicable events begin to take place in town, and the local Deputy tries to uncover the truth – something more terrifying than any of them could have imagined.

  • Of all the big summer movie blockbusters, this was one of the movies that I was the most excited to see for a couple of reasons. A - the trailer made this look amazing. It didn't tell you everything but left you with that "holy $hit - I want to see that" feeling. The more commercials/trailers that showed up for it made it look like a throwback to the kinds of movies I loved growing up in the 80s, which leads me to . . . . . . . B - Steven Spielberg provided most of my most favorite movie going memories growing up (along with the late John Hughes). As he has matured, he has tended to do smarter and more noteworthy movies instead of the rollercoaster adventure types. Seeing his name attached to this kind of a movie again got me beyond exctied. JJ Abrams apparantly felt the same way growing up as I did and said that this movie was an omage to the aforementioned movies. After seeing this, I will gladly accept Spielberg passing the baton on to him because this movie was as awesome as I hoped it would be. I felt like I was a young teenager again going to the movies with my dad with how glued to the screen I was as this well done in every way story played out with a bunch of unknown kids completely holding their own in terms of fear, love, laughs, and heroism. The only small knock that I would make against this movie is that the alien (that takes forever to actually be seen) is a little too scary/violent). Younger kids will be terrified by a movie that with that changed would be appropriate for all ages.

  • I absolutely recommend this movie to everyone. It's easily one of the top two or three movies of the year so far and will probably be on my top 10 list at the end of it.

Judy Moody & The NOT Bummer Summer




  • The film chronicles Judy Moody's (Jordana Beatty) adventures in which she sets out to have the most thrilling summer of her life with the help of her little brother Stink (Parris Mosteller) and fun-loving Aunt Opal (Heather Graham).

  • This movie is exactly what you would think it is. It's a slightly more silly/goofy version of Diary Of A Wimpy Kid. It has the same poor me middle schooler and the same narration and simple kid wanting something better storyline. It's watchable and enjoyable as long as you are still able to remember what it was like for you when you were in middle school. Kids are guaranteed to like it because of how spot on it probably is for them.

  • I would definitely recommend people taking their kids to see this. As for the adults that take them - it's really not that painful at all to sit through.

X-Men: First Class




  • X-Men: First Class charts the epic beginning of the X-Men saga, and reveals a secret history of famous global events. Before mutants had revealed themselves to the world, and before Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr took the names Professor X and Magneto, they were two young men discovering their powers for the first time. Not archenemies, they were instead at first the closest of friends, working together with other Mutants (some familiar, some new), to prevent nuclear Armageddon. In the process, a grave rift between them opened, which began the eternal war between Magneto’s Brotherhood and Professor X's X-Men.

  • FINALLY!!!!! A summer blockbuster this year that not only meets expectations of greatness but exceeds them (this is not counting Fast Five because it opened in April). I left this movie beyond satisfied. It's also one of those comic books movies that is more than just a comic book movie. Ok - the comparisons to The Dark Knight are absurd. They should simply never do that. Putting that aside, this movie was phenomenally done. It's easily the best "prequel" ever. This movie is everything that the Star Wars prequel should have been. You know how it is going to end. Erik is going to become Magneto. Charles is going to end up in a wheelchair. Mystique is going to end up with Magneto yet it is so well put together that you are still thrown back when it happens. They developed the perfect amount of supporting characters/mutants. The effects were "simple" compared to over the top stuff you see nowadays but perfect. The way that the movie was weaved in to actual U.S. history was a hugely added bonus and the 1960s look that stayed consistent throughout the movie was great. I can't say enough good things about this movie. It was excellently done across the board and is easily the best movie of the year at this point.

  • I couldn't possibly recommend people checking out this movie more. Even those of you who are not usually in to the comic book thing - the US history aspect of this movie will make in entertaining for you as well and the story is so tight and well done from beginning to end.