Casa de mi Padre

Armando Alvarez (Will Ferrell) has lived and worked on his father's ranch in Mexico his entire life. As the ranch encounters financial difficulties, Armando's younger brother Raul (Diego Luna) shows up with his new fiance, Sonia (Genesis Rodriguez). It seems that Raul's success as an international businessman means the ranch's troubles are over as he pledges to settle all debts his father has incurred. But when Armando falls for Sonia, and Raul's business dealings turn out to be less than legit, all hell breaks loose as they find themselves in a war with Mexico's most feared drug lord, the mighty Onza (Gael Garcia Bernal).

This movie is blatantly a one trick pony. It's supposed to make you laugh because it's Will Ferrell in the middle of a telenovela. And it works. Even though it gets old pretty quick, I was still laughing just at seeing him in this from beginning to end. And the movie isnt even 90 minutes long. Its got all of the over the top drama that a telenovella would have and then there is Will Ferrell talking spanish standing out like a sore thumb.

I wouldn't blatantly recommend people see this because it really is a one trick, silly movie. I thought it was hilarious though.

The Hunger Games

Every year in the ruins of what was once North America, the evil Capitol of the nation of Panem forces each of its twelve districts to send a teenage boy and girl to compete in the Hunger Games. A twisted punishment for a past uprising and an ongoing government intimidation tactic, The Hunger Games are a nationally televised event in which "Tributes" must fight with one another until one survivor remains. Pitted against highly-trained Tributes who have prepared for these Games their entire lives, Katniss is forced to rely upon her sharp instincts as well as the mentorship of drunken former victor Haymitch Abernathy. If she's ever to return home to District 12, Katniss must make impossible choices in the arena that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

I loved this movie.  I tore through all three books and had sky high expectations for this movie and it delivered across the board.  The cast was great.  The tension and story build up was there.  There were definitely parts where reading the book helped, but in any good science fiction or "different" world stories - the trick is to make me believe that it could be like that and this movie delivered. 

I would absolutely recommend peopled checking this out.  It's easily the best movie of the year so far.  You should read the books as well.  I can't wait for the next two.

Mirror Mirror

Mirror Mirror is a fresh and funny retelling of the Snow White legend,  It features breakout star Lily Collins (The Blind Side) as Snow White, a princess in exile, and Julia Roberts as the evil Queen who ruthlessly rules her captured kingdom. Seven courageous rebel dwarfs join forces with Snow White as she fights to reclaim her birthright and win her Prince in this magical comedy filled with jealousy, romance, and betrayal that will capture the hearts and imaginations of audiences the world over.

This was a really cutesy retelling of the classic story.  The dwarves were entertaining and I liked the little twists that they put on their fighting against height.  And Julia Roberts was awesome as the overly hammy queen.  Her delivery and one liners were just as good as they looked in the trailer. 

I would recommend people checking this out.  Its not a must see by any means but it is very entertaining even though you pretty much know the whole story.

21 Jump Street

In 21 Jump Street, Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Jenko (Channing Tatum) are more than ready to leave their adolescent problems behind. Joining the police force and the secret Jump Street unit, they use their youthful appearances to go undercover in a local high school. As they trade in their guns and badges for backpacks, Schmidt and Jenko risk their lives to investigate a violent and dangerous drug ring. But they find that high school is nothing like they left it just a few years earlier and neither expects that they will have to confront the terror and anxiety of being a teenager again and all the issues they thought they had left behind.

This was a surprisingly enjoyable movie.  I really had garbage expectations for this and it far surpassed though.  It was very funny, had a good enough paced story, and Channing Tatum was probably the most watchable he's been in his whole career.  I think that fact that they pretty much mocked themselves the whole time really helped the movie.  Loved the cameos by all the actors from the television series in there.  Also loved the chemistry between the two leads.  Again - very surprising and very enjoyable.

I would definitely recommend people checking this movie out.  It's definitely one of the better offerings out there and was very entertaining.

Silent House

Silent House is a uniquely unsettling horror thriller starring Elizabeth Olsen as Sarah, a young woman who finds herself sealed inside her family's secluded lake house. With no contact to the outside world, and no way out, panic turns to terror as events become increasingly ominous in and around the house.

Pretty much a big turd. I felt no fear whatsoever for the first hour. The hand held vamera thing is pretty much done for me scary wise unless the movie title is Paranormal Activity and has a number after it. Once the "fear" portion of it was over and they went it to the "swerve", I was beyond done and started reading my book on my phone.

I would absolutely not recommend anyone wasting there time with this garbage. These movies needs to stop.

John Carter

John Carter is based on a classic novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs, whose highly imaginative adventures served as inspiration for many filmmakers, both past and present. The film tells the story of war-weary, former military captain John Carter (Taylor Kitsch), who is inexplicably transported to Mars where he becomes reluctantly embroiled in a conflict of epic proportions amongst the inhabitants of the planet, including Tars Tarkas (Willem Dafoe) and the captivating Princess Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins). In a world on the brink of collapse, Carter rediscovers his humanity when he realizes that the survival of Barsoom and its people rests in his hands.

This is a decent/watchable movie.  It is REALLY sci-fi. Probably a little too much.  It would have been better if he wasn't a civil war veteran that randomly gets sent to Mars . . . . . like maybe just have it take place on Mars.  The mix of the two didn't really work for me.  The action and effects were cool but I actually think that this movie was held back from being something much better by being waaaaaaay too over the top across the board. 

I would somewhat recommend people checking this out.  Again - it's not a bad movie but it could have been so much better if it wasn't overly produced in every way.

Good Deeds

A successful, wealthy businessman, Wesley Deeds (Tyler Perry) has always done what's expected of him, whether it's assuming the helm of his father's company, tolerating his brother's misbehavior at the office or planning to marry his beautiful but restless fiance, Natalie (Gabrielle Union). But Wesley is jolted out of his predictable routine when he meets Lindsey (Thandie Newton), a down-on-her-luck single mother who works on the cleaning crew in his office building. When he offers to help her get back on her feet, the chance encounter with someone so far outside his usual circle ignites something in Wesley. This one good deed may finally spark his courage to exchange the life that's expected of him for the life he's always really wanted.

This is pretty much just another one of Tyler Perry's non-Madea movies.  A lot of hardship and personal drama and characters working through it all.  I know that I sound blah saying that, but I don't mean it that way at all.  It's just that they are all pretty formula and melodramatic, but I also find them pretty watchable.  I enjoyed this movie.  Not in a way that I would say it's a must see, but just that it wasn't painful to have on while getting stuff done around the house and what not.

I would lukewarmly recommend people checking this out.  It's not a must see again by any means, but there are much crappier things you could waste your time watching.

Act Of Valor

When a mission to recover a kidnapped CIA operative unexpectedly results in the discovery of an imminent, terrifying global threat, an elite team of highly trained Navy SEALs must immediately embark on a heart-stopping secret operation, the outcome of which will determine the fate of us all.

This movie is pretty much nothing more than a movie version of a video game.  They decided to try and capitalize on the XBOX Live thing with the Call Of Duty series.  That's really it.  There is a borderline story, with no actors and some cool action stuff.  Again - that's really it.  I was pretty much non-interested the whole time.

I would only recommend this to those of you that are addicted to Call Of Duty/Xbox Live.  Outside of that, there is no reason for any of you to waste your time with this.

The Lorax

The Lorax is an adaptation of the classic tale of a forest creature who shares the enduring power of hope. The animated adventure follows the journey of a 12-year-old as he searches for the one thing that will enable him to win the affection of the girl of his dreams. To find it he must discover the story of the Lorax, the grumpy yet charming creature who fights to protect his world.

This is kind of tough one to review.  It wasn't necessarily a bad movie because the animation was really good and there were laughs in there.  However, it might be the longest hour and half movie I have ever seen and to be quite honest I was bored out of mind for massive portions of the movie.  It ended up being a really long ad for taking care of the environment. 

I don't really know that I would recommend this movie.  At least not for adults I guess.  My niece that saw it with us loved it and I that is ultimately what matters with movies like this.  Sadly, this is one of those animated movies that really ends up being for the kids and the adults just kind of sit through it.  Ah . . . . .the joys of parenting.

Project X

Project X follows three seemingly anonymous high school seniors as they attempt to finally make a name for themselves. Their idea is innocent enough: let's throw a party that no one will forget... but nothing could prepare them for this party. Word spreads quickly as dreams are ruined, records are blemished and legends are born. Project X is a warning to parents and police everywhere.

This movie was essentially a home video camera version of Superbad.  The kid that lived in the house that the party was at was Michael Cera, his loud mouth friend was Jonah Hill and the fat sidekick was fat McLovin.  The movie itself was decent.  I liked the parts where the friends were riffing on each other and the parts of the story where the party was continuing to spiral out of control.  However, at least half of this movie was a music video with kids jumping up and down.  They literally did a part of the movie, you would get in to and laugh and what not and then there would be a 2-3 minute music video segment.  It kind of ruined the flow of the movie for me. 

I would somewhat recommend people checking this out.  I did like the party careening out of control but it was a little too repetitive/choppy for me.  I also would prefer movies like this not get made simply because having four kids I don't need stuff like this putting insane ideas in their heads.  Never leaving the house again.

Wanderlust

George (Rudd) and Linda (Aniston) are an overextended, stressed out Manhattan couple. After George is downsized out of his job, they find themselves with only one option: to move in with George's awful brother in Atlanta.  On the way there, George and Linda stumble upon Elysium, an idyllic community populated by colorful characters who embrace a different way of looking at things. Money? It can't buy happiness. Careers? Who needs them? Clothes? Only if you want them.  Is Elysium the fresh start George and Linda need? Or will the change of perspective cause more problems than it solves?  

I am shocked at how hilarious I found this movie.  I went in with pretty much zero expectations and laughed my a$$ off.  It's definitely a rated R movie since there is a ton of nudity - mostly male and a lot of the comedy was built on absurd sight gags and uncomfortable scenes going on for too long.  However, the delivery of Paul Rudd and Justin Theroux was also great.  I'm sure that it helps that I am a huge fan of Paul Rudd. 

I would definitely recommend people checking this out for a good laugh.  This was easily the funniest movie I've seen in a while.